Graduation Day
by TonyStarkakaIronMan
Summary: Robin's past returns to haunt him. How far will he go to protect the team he built with his blood, sweat, and tears? It's always darkest before the dawn. FINALLY COMPLETE!
1. Nightmare

The crescent moon reflected weakly in the waters around Titans Island, just before a storm front darkened the sky completely. Thunder rumbled, warning of the downpour to come, as the shadows deepened and spread. Lightning blazed across the night, and rain burst forth from the clouds, pelting the T-shaped tower and its surroundings with a vengeance.

There appeared to be no activity inside the building. The reinforced windows were dark. Assured by Cyborg that his systems would detect any intruders, the Titans were fast asleep; some lost in the oblivion of deep slumber, while others traipsed merrily through pleasant dreams. One, however, was not enjoying his rest.

Tossing and turning in his sleep, Richard Grayson was a helpless participant in a familiar nightmare.

Standing alone in a spotlight, the ground impossibly far below him, he waited for the trapeze bar to come back to him so he could join his mother and father for the big finale. He was a bit nervous. It was just a few weeks ago that he began to practice without the net and tonight they were performing a new move in front of an audience for the first time.

He knew he'd be okay once he took the bar and flew out into space. His reflexes would take over and they'd soon be taking a bow together in the center ring.

Only the bar never made it to him.

The ropes on the trapeze would snap and his parents would fall, screaming as they plummet into the depths.

Sometimes the nightmare would be in slow motion and he could easily make out the look of horror on his mother's face, her eyes bulging and mouth wide. Other times he would follow them to the ground, making out every detail of their crushed and mangled forms an instant before his own body hit.

This night, however, the dream ended differently.

Sobbing over the broken remains of the Flying Graysons, he senses a sudden presence behind him. Face wet with tears, he turns and freezes as a huge, dark shape rises out of the blackness. Stumbling backwards away from the shadowy creature, he falls among the bodies of his parents, whose shattered arms and legs twisted grotesquely around him and hold him fast.

As the monster reaches out with its vast, leathery wings and he catches his first glimpse of its crimson eyes and long fangs, he begins to scream.

Still screaming, Robin bolted upright in his bed.

_Where the hell did THAT come from?_

Heart still beating rapidly, he jumped out of bed and went to his adjoining bathroom. Not bothering to turn on the lights, he filled the sink with cold water and splashed his face several times. He stared at himself in the mirror, barely making out his reflection in the darkness. Despite this, he still thought he looked pale.

A sudden knock on the door made him jump.

_Geeze, I'm really freaked out. Get a grip, Dick._

"Robin?" a soft voice said tentatively from behind the door. "Is everything okay?"

He recognized Starfire's voice immediately.

Normally, he would tell her everything was fine through the door and go back to bed. But tonight, for some reason, he found himself walking over to the door and opening it. Seeing her there in the hallway, wearing ridiculous pink pajamas, immediately put a smile on his face.

"Hello, Star," he said quietly, not really wanting to wake the other Titans, "I'm sorry if I woke you."

"Oh, there is no need for apologies," she said enthusiastically. She then looked more carefully at him and blushed.

He realized then that he was hardly dressed for company.

_What is wrong with me, tonight?_

She smiled shyly and averted her eyes. "Perhaps it is I who should apologize, Robin. I did not mean to pry."

He quickly donned a robe and tied it shut.

"Why don't you come in, Star. We don't want to wake up the others."

"Are you sure, Robin? Normally you want the privacy."

"I'll make an exception this time."

He grinned and her face lit up. She quickly floated across the threshold and he closed the door behind him. The last thing he needed was Cyborg or Beastboy razzing him about having bad dreams.

He reconsidered his nightmare and what it meant. It didn't really make any sense. Not that dreams had to be sensible, but he realized they were useful glimpses into one's subconscious. Only what was his subconscious trying to tell him?

Her parents crumpled corpses flashed in his mind's eye once again.

"Robin?"

He turned on a light and then dimmed it. "Yes, Star?"

"May I ask why you are crying?"

"What?" Shocked, he quickly wiped at his eyes. Sure enough, his fingers came away wet. "Uh, there must have been something in my eye."

She walked over to him and put her arms on his shoulders.

"You can tell me, Robin. I am your friend."

"There's nothing to tell, Starfire," he looked up into her large, caring eyes and quickly realized he couldn't lie straight to her face.

"Actually, I just had a very bad dream and it shook me up a bit, that's all."

_I hope that didn't sound as lame as I think it did._

She continued to look at him, concern etched on her lovely features. "On Tameran, we discuss our bad dreams with each other until we feel better. Would you like to discuss your bad dream with me? Perhaps you will feel better as well."

Part of him couldn't believe he was having this conversation. _If the guys ever found out . . ._

But a part of him enjoyed her desire to help him.

He took her by the hand and led her over to his bed. They both sat down on the edge. She looked about the room for a moment, taking in his décor. He realized then that he had never invited her in here before.

He also wondered what the others would think. He and her, alone in his room in the middle of the night . . .

_Cyborg would have a field day._

"Robin?"

He brought his attention back to her.

"What was the bad dream about?"

He sighed. Finally, he took the plunge.

"It was about my parents."

She nodded, encouraging him to continue.

"They died when I was only ten. . . "

-----

Outside, the rain was pouring intensely.

On the roof of the Tower, a lone figure was hunched over an access hatch. Ignoring the wind and chill of the storm, he worked patiently. Bypassing the security system was turning out to be more difficult than he had expected.

The designer was good, but unfortunately not quite good enough.

Ten more minutes of diligent hacking finally broke the system, and he was able to open the hatch without triggering the alarms. He slipped through carefully and walked down the stairs, alert to any other defenses the Titan's electronics expert might have cooked up.

He was not disappointed. It took him another 15 minutes to successfully avoid, disarm, or otherwise bypass the security in the stairwell.

Finally, he penetrated the interior of the Tower and began to hunt for his quarry.

The figure's eyes narrowed.

It wouldn't be long now.


	2. Revelation

Raven was not used to peaceful sleep. Normally the depths of her dreams held darkness, guilt, and sheer terror. However, with the defeat of her father a few months ago, the young sorceress suddenly found her slumber deliciously absent of malice or discord. She could truly "enjoy a good night's sleep" for the first time in her life.

And it was wonderful.

So when her mystic defenses awoke her in the middle of the night, Raven was worried. Was Trigon back? Had his defeat been merely a ruse to lull her into a false sense of security?

Heart pounding furiously, she gestured absently and her robes and cloak enveloped her as she floated above her bed.

She muttered the magic words she knew so well as she sent her mind forth to determine what had violated the magical wards she had set up throughout the Tower. They were there both to backup and complement the technological defenses Cyborg was so proud of. And tonight, they had done their job.

Someone was in the Tower.

As she exited her room to wake the others, she couldn't help but sigh in relief that it hadn't been Trigon after all. At the same time, she realized she apparently wasn't as free of her father's shadow as she had thought.

_Will he haunt me the rest of my life?_

Raven arrived in front of Robin's room and was about to knock when her empathic abilities picked up the strong emotions emanating from within. Sadness and concern radiated forth so intensely that the teen-ager actually flinched and floated back a few feet despite herself.

_Starfire's in there with him._

_And apparently they're in the middle of something quite profound._

Normally, Robin's emotions were under lock and key, although Raven could still detect them underneath, seething and writhing, especially during combat or when he was trying to figure out what the bad guys were up to. But right now, his careful defenses seemed to have collapsed. Long suppressed feelings were erupting forth like a geyser. Painful memories that had scarred him long ago had been brought to the surface.

And Starfire was there to console him.

Raven wondered why that bothered her.

She hesitated by the door a moment longer and then flew on down the hallway towards Cyborg's and Beast Boy's quarters. After all, her wards told her it was only one intruder and he didn't even have any mystical abilities.

Surely, the three of them could handle it.

-----

"Are you sure, Raven?" Beast Boy yawned, rubbing his eyes wearily.

"My wards have been tripped," she said impatiently, "The Tower's been infiltrated."

"And I say no way!" Cyborg retorted, typing furiously into the mini-computer on his forearm, "I've run a Level Four system's diagnostic and it's telling me everything is fine."

She glared at the large, half-human Titan.

"Okay, okay," he sighed, looking away, "We'll go check it out."

"Hey . . ." Beast Boy said suspiciously, "Where's Robin and Starfire? How come you didn't wake them up, too?"

"Let's go," she took off down the corridor.

Cyborg and the green Titan exchanged looks and shrugged.

"Come on, BB, the sooner we scout the Tower, the sooner we can go back to bed."

-----

They were onto him by now, he was certain of it. He knew he hadn't tripped any alarms, and yet at least three of the Titans were on the move. He watched them via the security cameras he had hacked into and wondered just how they had known.

Still no sign of his quarry, however.

He brought up schematics of the Tower and quickly decided on the best location for an ambush. It would have been easier if they had separated from each other, but they weren't novices at this game despite their young age. He'd have to be quick and ruthless. Metahumans could be extremely dangerous if one underestimated them.

Fortunately, he had come prepared.

-----

"Dude, this is stupid!"

"Why don't you stop complaining and turn into something useful?" Raven retorted, hovering about ten feet in front of them.

Cyborg panned his spotlight around the main lounge as his two companions continued to bicker. The main windows flickered in the darkness beyond his light as the storm continued its fury outside. The yellow circle crawled lazily over the far wall and ceiling, coming to rest on a dark form crouched on a ledge.

"Wait a minute---"

The form darted away and something metallic flashed in the light for an instant.

Then his spotlight shattered and the entire room went black.

"What's going on?" Beast Boy shouted.

"Azarath! Metrion! Zin—Agh!" the incantation was cut short as brilliant light suddenly blinded the three of them.

Cyborg's ocular implant recovered in seconds from the flash grenade, but his teammates weren't so lucky. As he activated his sonic blaster and began to take aim at the intruder, he saw their opponent drop on top of Raven and drive her back into Beast Boy's staggering form. The man punched Raven across the face as he reached down and hauled the jade Titan up roughly.

"Let's see how you like this, tough guy!" Cyborg fired.

The caped intruder pivoted gracefully, interposing Beast Boy's body between him and the oncoming blast. Cyborg watched helplessly as his best friend took the brunt of the attack. His foe tossed his unconscious teammate aside and charged.

Cyborg threw a punch, but the man ducked underneath, grabbed his arm, and used his own momentum to flip him onto his back. Before he could react, the heel of his opponent's boot smashed into his artificial eye, shattering the lens.

Now he was as blind as his comrades.

Roaring in anger, Cyborg fired a wide burst, hoping to tag his foe, but to no avail. Something was attached to his chest.

Two seconds later, all his artificial systems shut down.

A blow to the face took care of the rest.

-----

He quickly took stock.

The changeling should be out for several minutes. The electro-magnetic pulse would keep the cyborg down for several more. That only left the mage. She was potentially the most dangerous, so he had better make sure she wasn't getting up anytime soon.

He had just bent over to check on the cloaked girl when a bolt of greenish energy nearly took his head off.

He jumped back, only to see several bladed weapons slicing through the air at him. His hands dove into his belt and he threw several of his own weapons to intercept them. They were deflected, although one came perilously close to his face.

_He's gotten better._

"Get away for our friends!" The alien female shouted, eyes glowing. It was hard to take her seriously while dressed in pink pajamas, but her power was undeniable. Bolts of energy rained down upon him as she arced up into the air, temporarily putting him on the defensive and forcing him away from her downed teammates.

"Starfire! See if they're okay!" Robin called out, closing in for hand-to-hand combat, "I'll handle our guest."

_He's decisive in combat. Excellent._

The teen led with a flying kick. He blocked it and countered with a quick blow to the stomach. Robin exhaled sharply, but grabbed his arm and attempted a judo toss.

He let him throw him and rolled to feet.

Robin attacked again, this time with a series of kicks and blows. He parried them and launched a few strikes of his own, pleased to see them blocked in turn.

_He's picked up some new techniques. Interesting._

"Who are you?" Robin demanded, becoming frustrated with his inability to land a solid punch, "Why have you attacked us?"

He decided to end the charade. The other Titans would be recovering soon enough, and he had more important things to do than continue to fight them.

He took a few steps back and assumed a defensive stance.

"Starfire, get the lights," Robin said, not taking his eyes off him, "How are they?"

"I think they will be okay. Raven is waking up."

The alien reached out and flipped a switch, illuminating the room.

Robin stood there in shock.

"Batman?"

"Hello, Robin." The Dark Knight said, standing calmly, "It's been a long time."

"What are you doing here?"

Batman locked eyes with his ward.

"It's time to come back home."


	3. Challenge

"Robin, who is this person? And why is he talking about taking you home?" Starfire's eyes began to glow, "_This _is your home!"

"Calm down, Star," Robin said curtly, not taking his eyes off of Batman.

"Calm down?" Beast Boy muttered groggily as he began to sit up, "Dude, this guy just kicked our butts!"

"I agree," Raven floated away from Starfire's grasp, "Let's return the favor."

Batman quickly assumed a combat stance, eyes taking in the Titans calmly.

"Titans, stand down!" Robin shouted, "This fight is over."

For a split second the young heroes paused, but then they reluctantly complied. Both Beast Boy and Raven bent over the prone Cyborg, attempting to revive their friend, while Starfire, eyes a mixture of anger and confusion, kept a close watch on Robin and their mysterious intruder.

"Robin," she said firmly, "I think you owe us an explanation."

"Enough," Batman stated matter-of-factly, "This phase of your training is over, Robin. It's time to move on. Gather your things."

"Now, hold on," Robin replied, a hint of desperation entering his voice, "I just can't drop everything and leave like this!"

"We had an agreement."

The words hung in the empty air of the large chamber as the other Titans waited impatiently for their leader to respond.

Instead, Robin looked down and was silent.

Beast Boy finally had enough.

"Dude, what's wrong with you? This guy attacked us! Why are you even _listening_ to him?" A split second later, a large green grizzly bear towered over them.

"Beast Boy, stop!" A quick somersault put Robin between the bear and Batman, who seemed to watch the proceedings impassively. The Boy Wonder locked eyes with the bear. "Please."

The bear growled slowly, but dropped back to all fours.

Robin looked at his mentor.

"Can we do this in private?"

Batman nodded, "Fine. Roof. Ten minutes."

The Dark Knight stalked towards the exit.

He looked over his shoulder just before he disappeared into the stairwell.

"Don't make me wait."

Three pairs of eyes settled on Robin, their gaze a powerful combination of question, betrayal and hurt.

"Robin . . . ?" Starfire whispered, her soft voice carrying through the silence.

Their leader slumped, a look of guilt and sadness etched on his face.

It was a long time before he began to speak.

-----

When Robin climbed to the roof, the worst of the storm was over.

Released of their watery burden, the dark clouds raced out to sea. Weak drizzle muted the Tower lights, as distant thunder sounded weakly. The chill from the nearby ocean contrasted harshly with the warmth of the building's interior. He could feel the heat escaping as he stood in the doorway, looking out into the darkness.

Batman spoke before the young man could figure out where he was.

_As usual, _Robin thought bitterly.

"You're late."

He materialized out of the shadows, cloak wrapped tightly around his form. A specter rising from the rain.

"Sorry," Robin said flatly, not meaning it. He stepped out into the rain and let the door slide shut behind him. It closed with a sense of finality.

The two costumed men stared at each other.

Lightning flashed out at sea, briefly illuminating their still figures.

"Why are you doing this?" Robin demanded.

"I need you back in Gotham."

"Since when do you _need_ anyone?"

Batman was silent.

Robin decided to try a different approach.

"Look, I've learned so much since the Titans were formed. I know you've been keeping tabs on our activities. We've taken down some serious threats. Hell, we even saved the world once."

"A world that was only threatened in the first place because of your teammate Raven."

"That's not fair."

"Are you saying it's not true?"

"Not everything is black and white, Bruce."

"Is that what your time with the Titans has taught you, Dick?"

Robin threw his hands up in disgust.

Batman continued to watch his young protégé, as the wind blew drizzle around the rooftop.

Robin tried again.

"You sent me out here to learn leadership and hone my skills while out of your shadow. I've done that. The Titans are an effective team."

"I'm not impressed."

"That's because you know all of their weaknesses. I know how you operate. You've probably been studying them for months just for this little demonstration. Most of the criminals out there don't. Besides, an effective ambush can take down anyone." Robin pointed at his mentor, "You taught me that."

"Your fighting skills have gotten better," Batman admitted, "But you still have a long way to go. Only I can take you to the next level."

Robin sighed.

"What if I don't come with you?"

"Then I shut the Titans down. You know this whole operation is subsidized by WayneTech. No more Tower. No more T-sub. No more equipment. Nothing."

Robin tensed up, face filled with anger.

Batman looked on, impassively.

The younger man attempted to compose himself, knowing such a display of emotion would only hurt his chances. "There has to be another way, Bruce. Don't do this to me. At least give me some more time."

"Are you going to turn your back on your responsibilities? On your promises? Are you saying you're not a man of your word?"

"Of course I am," Robin spat back, "It's just that---things are---it's complex!"

"You've let it get personal."

"Not all of us are like you. Some of us have emotions."

"That was a mistake Robin. You should have kept it professional."

"They're my friends!"

"Then they will understand."

"I'm not going to abandon them."

"Do you doubt them so much that you think they can only survive if you are there?"

"It's not like that."

"Is it the alien?"

"What?"

"Starfire. She was in your room this evening."

Robin blushed, "That's none of your business."

"Inter-team relationships are a bad idea. I thought I taught you that."

Robin stepped forward until he and Batman were less than a foot apart, "So I should only get involved with villains like Catwoman, then?"

Batman frowned.

_Finally. I got a reaction out of him._

_Still, it is a low blow._

Batman turned and looked out over the bay, the skyline of the city becoming more visible as the last of the rain tapered off.

"Dick," Batman began awkwardly, "I just want you to finish what you started. You have such great potential. I want you to fulfill it. I want you to be able to survive."

Robin was silent. For the first time, he felt like he was speaking to Bruce instead of Batman. _Maybe he'll finally listen to reason._

"I think I'm already there, Bruce."

Batman turned back. "Prove it."

"What do you have in mind?"

"Defeat me."

"What?"

Batman spread his cape, revealing his utility belt. He punched a couple buttons and activated the homing beacon. Robin realized the Batwing must be nearby.

"If you can defeat me in combat, then I'll agree to let you stay with the Titans. If not, you'll come back to Gotham City, no questions asked."

A spotlight washed over the two of them, as the Batwing began to descend out of the clouds. Seconds later, a rope ladder dangled between them. Batman grabbed it and began to ascend. "Well?"

Robin watched him climb into the sky.

"Okay. I accept your terms."

_It's not like I have a choice._

"I'll give you a week to prepare."

Robin nodded.

"And Robin?"

"Yes?"

"Have your things packed."

Robin watched as Batman entered the cockpit of the Batwing. A few seconds later, the airplane veered off inland and disappeared into the night.

The young man swallowed hard and headed for the door.

_Time to get to work._


	4. Ripple Effect

The green gorilla lunged forward, massive hands grasping futilely at the small human who continued to dance just out of reach.

"Come on, Beast Boy! Quit playing around," Robin rapped the ape smartly across the knuckles with his bo staff.

Roaring in pain, Beast Boy lashed out with one arm, only to have the leader of the Titans grab the extended limb and use his momentum to throw the heavy primate unceremoniously on his large, hairy butt.

An instant later, a jade tiger bounded back at Robin, razor sharp claws ready to tear him to ribbons.

The Titan calmly waited until the last possible moment and then deftly leaped over the big cat, smacking it in the nose with the staff in the process. The feline growled in annoyance as it stumbled, collapsing to the floor. Before the animal came to a complete stop, Beast Boy resumed human form.

"Dude! That hurt!" the youngest Titan said, voice muffled by the hand he held to his nose.

"Beast Boy, I'd appreciate it if you'd stick to bipeds."

"Dude, I can't do machines!"

Robin frowned, "I said bipeds, not mopeds."

"I know you said bipeds!" Beast Boy exclaimed, face reddening. "I just figured a biped was like, you know, two mopeds put together. Or something."

He laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his head self-consciously.

"Look, I need you to take this seriously!" Robin shouted, patience at an end, "I don't have time for your stupid games!"

"Hey, Robin, come on!" Beast Boy sputtered, "I'm just trying to lighten things up a bit."

Robin advanced on his teammate until their faces were only an inch apart.

"That's your problem, Beast Boy. You never take _anything_ seriously. Don't you think its time to grow up? Don't you _ever_ want to be taken seriously?"

"Why don't you lay off him, Robin?" a new voice called out from behind.

Both Titans turned as Cyborg entered the training area.

The older teen sized up both of his teammates before he continued.

"Just because you've got issues with the psycho in the Batsuit doesn't mean you have the right to take it out on us, man. Why don't you chill out for a bit?"

Robin bit back a harsh retort.

"Fine. Whatever."

He collapsed his staff and stored it in his utility belt. "This was a waste of time. Sparing with you guys isn't going to give me the edge I need."

Robin stormed out of the gymnasium.

"Geeze, what crawled up his butt?" Beast Boy wondered.

"Don't take it personally, BB. He's going through something big. If he wants to let us in, he will," Cyborg shrugged, "Hell, my old man and me had all kinds of problems back in the day."

"Yeah, but Cyborg! Batman isn't Robin's dad."

Cyborg looked down on his best friend and shook his head.

"Man, didn't you listen to anything he said last night? Sure, Batman may not have changed his diapers or anything, but he's the one who took him in when his parents died, and he's the one who trained him to be a superhero."

The big man bent down to stare Beast Boy in the face to make his final point.

"As far as Robin is concerned, Batman is the one who made him the person he is today."

-----

Raven had watched this scene quietly from a dark corner near the ceiling of the gym. She muttered a few mystic words and disappeared into the darkness she manipulated so well.

She reappeared a few seconds later on the roof of the Tower.

The weather was much nicer now, with the sun shining brightly through the nearly cloudless sky. She pulled the hood of her cloak back and allowed the warmth of the sun's rays to caress her face. Then she sighed and looked for the person her empathic abilities had tracked to this place.

Starfire was sitting in her usual spot, legs dangling over the edge of the Tower, watching the horizon of the ocean. Normally, the alien princess wouldn't come out here until sunset, an event still several hours away.

But normal no longer seemed to apply after their visit from Batman.

"Starfire?"

The young woman turned and smiled sadly, "I am sorry, friend Raven, but I do not think I would be very good at the mediation today."

Raven came up and sat down next to her teammate.

"That's okay, Starfire. We don't have to meditate. We could just . . . talk."

"Really?" the alien's face lit up like a child on Christmas morning, "You would be willing to discuss the relationship problems with me? You would accompany me in my misery? How wonderful!" Starfire clapped her hands together in glee.

"Ooookay," Raven exhaled, "Just don't hug me."

Starfire stopped in mid-motion, arms almost encircling her friend. She grinned sheepishly and resumed sitting on the edge, looking out over the deep blue sea. All too soon, her face looked sad once again.

"What's the matter, Starfire?" Raven asked, gently prodding her friend for the answer she already knew.

"Robin will not talk to me," she replied simply.

"Robin's never been much of a talker."

"No, it is different now. Before the Batman came, Robin and I shared a wonderful conversation. He told me about his parents and how he grew up. Robin was telling me all about himself! And it was glorious!"

"That doesn't sound like Robin."

"I know, but I enjoyed him like this. It was like we were sharing a special bond. You know, the boyfriend-girlfriend bond. It was so much better than the recreational activities and the flowers I have read about in the teen magazines!"

"That's . . . great." _Why aren't I happier for her? She's waited a long time for Robin to come around._

"No!" Starfire shouted, "No, it is not the great! It is not even the good. Since the Batman came, Robin will not talk to me. Not even the way he talked to me before we had the nice conversation."

She stood up suddenly, frustrated. "I do not understand Earth boys at all!"

Starfire burst into tears.

Raven got to her feet and awkwardly patted the taller girl on the shoulder, "Um, it's going to be all right, Starfire. Things will, uh, things will work out."

"Oh, Raven!" Starfire embraced the smaller Titan, pulling her off her feet, "You are such a good friend!"

The sorceress attempted to avoid rolling her eyes.

_Great._

-----

He sat alone on one of the many large boulders that marked the boundary of the island and the sea. Occasionally a particularly large wave would crash upon the shore, sending a fine mist far into the air, soaking most of his body.

If the wetness bothered Robin, he gave no sign.

_It's no good. Six days left and I still have no idea how I'm going to beat him._

The young man had wracked his brain all day to no avail.

_The Titans don't fight like Bruce does. I've been training with them for years, and they've honed my skills as much as they possibly can. I need something more._

He skipped stones absently into the ocean, each one a perfect throw. All of them would bounce across the surface of the water a half dozen times before sinking below the waves. The sky was beginning to redden as the daylight began to wane.

_What am I going to do? I can't let him destroy the Titans. I just can't._

He pitched one more stone.

Something shot out of the gathering gloom and intercepted the rock perfectly. The rock was deflected across the darkening sky and plopped into the sea, while the object which had hit it curved through the air and returned to the person would had thrown it. Robin jumped to his feet, Birdarang in hand.

"I hope this isn't your idea of training, Dick. I mean, I know your David and he's Goliath, but somehow I don't think a stone's gonna cut it."

He recognized the voice instantly and relaxed.

For the first time all day, he smiled.

"Hello, Babs."

Batgirl leaped gracefully onto the boulder. He reached out to steady her and she hugged him. "It's good to see you, Dick."

"It's nice to see you, too," he hugged her back, resting his head on her shoulder, "It's been a long time."

"Too long," Batgirl replied, pulling back to get a good look at him.

"Does _he_ know you're here?" Robin asked.

"I don't doubt it, but I wasn't going to ask for permission to come see you," Batgirl smiled, "You could have called or written, you know."

Realizing they were still embraced, Robin blushed slightly and let her go.

"Why _did_ you come here, Barbara?"

"Do I have to have a reason to visit my boyfriend?"

Robin sighed.

_How much more complicated can my life get right now?_


	5. Complications

"That was a long time ago, Barbara."

Batgirl frowned. "You make it sound like ancient history, but it's only been two years." She sidled closer to him, gently placed one hand on his cheek. "And I've got to admit, you've grown even cuter."

Batgirl moved in for a kiss.

Their lips barely brushed before Robin jerked backwards. He lost his footing on the slippery rock and tumbled unceremoniously to the wet sand below.

"Geeze, Babs!" he managed to spit out once he got over his shock.

Batgirl laughed at the sight of the Titan sprawled out on the beach, and then leaped down to help him up.

"You didn't seem to mind when we kissed all those timed back in the Cave," she reminded him, "Or in the Batmobile. Or on the Batcycle."

"Okay, okay, I get the---"

"Or on the rooftops."

"Babs---"

"Or that one time in Arkham---"

"Barbara!" he exclaimed, exasperated.

She grinned impishly. "You get so cute when you're frustrated."

_Oh, man. I need this like a hole in the head._

"Look, Babs, I really need to concentrate here. It's really good to see you again. No, I mean it!" He added, as Batgirl began to roll her eyes, "But, why did you come out here? I'm sure he told you about the ultimatum."

"Not in so many words," she admitted, now looking with interest at the Tower in the distance, "But, let's face it, I've been around him enough to know what he's thinking." She turned back to him. "He's not a happy camper, Dick, so I know things didn't go well."

She locked eyes with him.

"How come you don't want to come back to us, Dick? Do these Titans mean so much to you? Do they mean more to you than I do?"

"Uh," Robin stammered, "It's complex, Babs. We'll been through a lot together and we've jelled well as a team. I just can't drop everything and go. I'm trying to negotiate a transition period, that's all."

He looked at the horizon, as the final part of the sun slipped beneath the waves, "But you know Bruce. Things have to be his way all the time." Batgirl didn't seem quite satisfied with his answer, so Robin continued on before she could take the conversation down a path he really didn't want to tread at that moment. "Look, we normally have dinner around now. Why don't you join us? I'm sure the rest of the Titans will be glad to meet you."

_Well, maybe not Starfire._

Batgirl smiled. "I'd like that."

The pair began to make their way up the path to the Tower.

They were halfway there when Robin finally spoke again.

"Listen, can we downplay things while you're visiting? I haven't told them much about Bruce and the rest of my life before we formed the team. I wanted to respect his privacy and be considered independent of him."

"Hey, it's me," she replied, "I know how to keep a secret, Dick. Should I even call you by your real name?"

Robin blushed, "Actually, we usually stick to code names."

Barbara's eyes widened.

"You've got to be kidding me."

Robin shrugged, grinning sheepishly.

-----

"Who is this Batgirl? I do not like her."

"Starfire, you've just met her!" Cyborg replied, eyes on the massive video screen while his fingers worked furiously on the control pad of the Gamestation.

"Yeah!" Beast Boy said, shifting left and right in his seat as he vainly tried to make his video character complete a particularly complex finishing move, "I thought she was pretty cool. She even laughed at a couple of my jokes."

"She was just being polite," Raven stated flatly, looking up from her book. Her empathic ability clearly picked up the strong jumble of emotions radiating from Starfire. It was almost as palpable as the clueless ness emanating from the boys.

Starfire was pacing back and forth behind the big couch. She had nearly worn a path in the thick rug. Every few minutes she would stop and stare at the door that led back to the living quarters where Batgirl and Robin had disappeared a little under an hour ago. The alien would sometimes begin to walk towards that exit, only to stop herself after a couple steps and return back to where she had started.

Then the cycle would begin anew.

Raven sighed and closed her book. Shooting an evil glare at the oblivious male members of the Titans, she walked over to Starfire and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Starfire, why don't we go meditate."

Starfire closed her eyes sadly. "Raven, I do not think my mind will be able to meditate right now. There is too much---"

Raven cut her off and began to pull her towards the door, "You never know 'til you try. Come on."

"But Raven, I---"

"Let's go, Starfire,"

A few minutes later, the two young women found themselves in the hallway that lead past Robin's room. They stopped about twenty feet down the corridor.

"Well?" Raven asked.

Starfire looked at Robin's door, and then back at her friend. "I thought you wanted us to meditate!"

Raven sighed once again. Dealing with Starfire seemed to have that effect on her. "Do you mean to tell me you don't want to knock on that door and see what's going on?"

Starfire gasped. "I could not!"

"So you're giving up, then?"

Starfire was quiet.

Raven tried another approach. "Remember that time Killer Moth's daughter made Robin take her to that dance? You didn't seem to have a problem fighting for him then."

"That was different," she replied softly, eyes sad and downcast.

"How so?"

"That girl was forcing Robin to do those things. Somehow I do not think the Batgirl has to force Robin to do much of anything."

"So they have a history, so what. He hasn't seen her in two years! Years he's spent with us. With you."

_If you're not going to fight for him, then maybe you don't deserve him._

Raven checked herself.

_I shouldn't be this harsh on her. Batgirl and Robin DO seem compatible. In a sickening, sugary kind of way._

"But why did Robin take her to his room?"

Raven gently pushed her friend down the hall.

"That's what you're going to find out."

-----

"So are you going to help me, or not?"

Batgirl, cowl now removed, was lingering by his workbench. She hefted one of his Birdarangs, testing its balance.

"I'm not sure I really want to get in the middle of this. It would almost be like a betrayal."

"I'm not asking you to fight him with me. I'm just asking you for some intel and maybe some sparring practice. You'd be the closest one to his fighting style, and that's what I need to practice against."

Batgirl put down the Birdarang and crossed her arms.

"I still don't understand why you have to fight him."

"I thought I explained that already---"

"Look, I get it. This is your team. You build it from the ground up. You lead them. They respect you. But you're already part of a team. Our team. Bruce and I." She approached him, "Where is your loyalty, Dick?"

Robin shook his head and stared at the floor.

"I don't think I know anymore." He whispered.

Batgirl knelt by him and cupped his chin, gently lifting his head until their eyes met. Her eyes danced merrily as she smiled, trying to cheer him up.

"That's okay. We'll figure it out. Together."

She kissed him, and this time he did not resist.

At that point, someone knocked at the door.

-----

It was probably the longest minute in Starfire's young life before the door finally opened. She attempted to put on a happy face, but, like all her race, she was more prone to expressing her emotions rather than concealing them.

Robin answered the door. "Yes, Star?"

"Ummmm." Starfire suddenly realized she had no idea what to say.

Robin raised an eyebrow, puzzled.

Finally, Raven decided to save the day.

"She was just going to tell you that dessert's ready."

"Oh, yes!" Starfire exclaimed, "The dessert is wondrous! You must join us! Right now!" She literally grabbed Robin on the arm and dragged him down the hall.

"Starfire!" Robin protested.

"Don't worry, Robin," Raven assured him as the pair disappeared down the hall, "I'll escort Batgirl back to the dining area."

The sorceress turned back toward Robin's room just in time to see Bargirl finish putting her cowl back in place.

_What other clothes did she just put back on?_

"Dessert sounds great, Raven. What are we having?"

"It's a surprise," Raven said dryly. "Afterwards, I'm sure you'll probably want to head out. It's getting kind of late."

"Oh, don't worry about that. I think I'll stick around for a few days. Robin said you guys have some spare rooms."

Raven tried to conceal her surprise.

"Are you sure Batman's not going to need you?"

"Ah, he's a big boy," Batgirl replied breezily, "And I could use a vacation. I haven't seen Robin in so long. We have a lot of catching up to do, if you know what I mean."

Batgirl walked away, heading towards the main lounge.

Reluctantly, Raven followed, troubled thoughts in tow.


	6. Clarity

"Titans! GO!"

Robin leapt from the roof, neatly firing off his grapple at the apex of his jump and using his forward momentum to swing right into the chest of the bestial villain known as Mammoth. The huge man staggered back a step, but was knocked completely off his feet by the Titan's second wave, namely Cyborg's sonic blaster and Starfire's starbolts.

"That's the battle cry? _Titans go?_" Batgirl muttered, aiming her grapple at a nearby building and preparing to swing to street level.

"Yeah!" Beast Boy exclaimed, jumping off the four story building, "Isn't it cool?"

The jade teen-ager didn't wait for an answer, turning into a condor and dive-bombing a short, bald foe whose various equipment made Batgirl assume was Gizmo. The midget swore as the large green bird forced him to take defensive action.

Batgirl was about to fire a line, but then changed her mind. The bad guys didn't know she was there yet, and a skillful ambush could make this a short fight. As she melted into the growing shadows of the late afternoon sun, she watched the skirmish unfold below.

Raven was having trouble with a girl in purple who had cat-eyes and some kind of "bad luck" powers, while Mammoth dropped an expensive-looking SUV on Cyborg. Robin was fearlessly attacking the super strong metahuman, who appeared capable of shaking off just about everything the Teen Wonder threw at him. Batgirl couldn't figure out his strategy until Starfire came out of nowhere and clocked Mammoth with a perfect haymaker, slamming about a block down the street. Then she helped Cyborg up and the two of them pursued their opponent.

"Nice one," she whispered, realizing Robin was simply disorienting the brute, leaving him wide open for the alien's strike.

_Bruce is right. He HAS improved._

By now, Beast Boy and Raven had changed sparring partners. A green hummingbird was successfully flitting around the purple girl, effectively keeping her from directing her hexes, while Raven's magic was systemically disassembling Gizmo's gear. Robin was out of the combat for the moment, guiding a few civilians out of immediate danger.

Batgirl was wondering if she would even have to intervene when disaster struck. The girl (she guessed she must be the one called Jinx) got lucky and managed to smack the hummingbird, driving the bird to the ground. Beast Boy immediately reappeared, stunned. Jinx raised both her hands, intent on finishing her foe.

Batgirl swung right into Jinx from behind, knocking her halfway across the street.

Before her opponent could get back to her feet, Batgirl threw two gas pellets, breaking them open on her foe's chest. Jinx breathed involuntarily and immediately began to wheeze and cough, tears streaming down her face.

Taking only enough time to secure her protective mask, Batgirl waded into the cloud of toxic gas. Jinx attempted to defend herself, and Barbara could tell she would have been a halfway decent hand-to-hand fighter under normal conditions. Nevertheless, a couple blows to Jinx's head ended the fight efficiently.

Batgirl was in the middle of securing her adversary with the Batcuffs when a bolt of electricity surged through her and everything went dark.

-----

"Batgirl!"

Robin scream echoed across the battlefield as he charged Gizmo, who had managed to get off one final blast before Raven completely disarmed him.

The short villain never had a chance as the leader of the Titans rained blow upon blow down upon him.

"Robin, stop!" Raven reached out to grab her friend, only to be pushed back roughly. Recovering quickly, she resorted to her magic and enveloped Robin in darkness, hoisting him up in the air.

Gizmo's body, bruised and bloody, slumped to the ground.

"Let me go, Raven!" Robin shouted, writhing and struggling to get free.

"Not until you calm down. You could have killed him!"

The sounds of combat echoed from down the street, where Starfire and Cyborg were still attempting to take down Mammoth. Raven knew they would probably need some help, but she wasn't about to let Robin go just yet.

She then noticed Beast Boy was starting to come around.

"Beast Boy! Are you okay?" she called out.

"Yeah," the youngest Titan looked around, confused. Then he focused on Raven and her unusual captive. "What's going on? Why are you holding Robin?"

"Never mind. Check on Batgirl. Is she okay?"

Beast Boy bent over the prone redhead and quickly gave a thumbs up, "Yeah, she's okay. Just knocked out."

"Good," She stared grimly at Robin, who finally stopped moving. Then she looked back at Beast Boy, "Go see if Starfire and Cyborg need any help finishing off Mammoth."

"But—"

"We'll be there in a minute." She released Robin, dropped deftly to the ground.

"But—"

"Beast Boy! Do it now!" She commanded, allowing her annoyance to manifest as an intimidating mystical aura.

"Okay, okay!" Beast Boy became a cheetah and sped off.

Raven watched Robin gather Batgirl in his arms before she spoke again.

"Want to tell me what that was all about?"

"No."

"Robin, you lost control. You haven't done that since—"

"Don't go there."

"Robin, what's going on? This isn't like you."

The young man refused to make eye contact with her.

"I'm just—" He paused, and then continued. "I'm just under a lot of stress, Raven. That's all."

"Robin, I'm an empath. You can't lie to me about this. There's more going on. A lot more."

"We don't have time for this." He began to stalk off, still carrying Batgirl.

She erected a barrier in front of his path.

"Raven," He finally looked at her. "Let me go."

"Not long ago, you helped me back from the brink when my father invaded. You were there for me then." She took several steps closer, until she could put both of her hands on Robin's shoulders. "Let me be there for you now."

She could feel the jumble of emotions emanating from him. Fear, guilt, and a growing despair primary among them. Emotions she knew only too well. But why were they coming from him? What was troubling him so deeply?

"Raven, Star and the others might need us."

Against her better judgment, Raven let the barrier fall.

-----

Batgirl woke up in the infirmary, a bit disoriented but otherwise unharmed.

Robin sighed in relief and checked his watch. It was a little before midnight.

Another day had already passed. _Only five more to go._

He couldn't say the day had been completely squandered. He and Batgirl had sparred most of the morning and again after lunch, at least until the rejects from the H.I.V.E. academy had decided to rob a bank downtown. Then he spent the rest of the day in a vigil by Barbara's bedside. Feelings he had long thought lost had been rekindled almost instantly once she had been struck down.

Worse, not only was his emotional state impossible to hide from Raven, it apparently obvious to Starfire as well. The Tamaranean was being very moody and had avoided contact with him from the moment she saw him carrying Batgirl. He wouldn't forget the way her face fell when she realized the depth of his concern for Batgirl.

"Hey," he said softly, checking the monitoring equipment to make sure everything was working correctly, "How are you feeling?"

"I've been better. I don't think I've been shocked that badly since Joker nailed me with one of his stupid joy buzzers."

"You had me worried, Babs."

"Awww," she reached up and tousled his hair, "You're sweet."

"Listen, I want you to stay in here overnight. Just to be safe."

"Can't I stay in your room instead?"

"Barbara."

"Joking, Boy Wonder, joking." She closed her eyes once again and let her head fall back into her pillow. "Okay. I'll stay put."

"Thanks." He kissed her on the forehead and dimmed the lights.

As he gently closed the door to the medical bay, Robin's thoughts grew troubled.

_This isn't working. Barbara is good, but she's an equal at best. And she doesn't possess the ruthlessness I need to prepare for Bruce. Besides, any advantage I get from sparring with her is outweighed by the distractions she's causing both to me and the team._

He hit the wall of the corridor in frustration.

"Damn it!" he swore, "This is getting me nowhere!"

_Think, Dick. Think!_

_There has to be a way. There has to be an answer._

He walked to his room and closed the door behind him. He stripped down to his underwear and got into bed.

For hours, he stared through the inky darkness, mind working feverishly to find a solution to his seemingly impossible predicament. Eventually, he fell into a troubled sleep.

It was during an equally troubled dream that he finally found an answer.

When the faint rays of the morning sun breached the blinds of his room, Robin woke up.

He knew what he had to do.


	7. Solution

By the time Batgirl woke up, showered, dressed, and made her way to the dining hall, all of the Titans were gone except Starfire, who was ravenously digging away at a particularly large grapefruit. Barbara considered delaying breakfast until the Tamaranean left the room, but quickly changed her mind.

Some things needed to get out in the open, and Jim Gordon's little girl had never been one to beat around the bush.

"Good morning, Starfire," She said cheerily as she sat down at the counter, "How are you today?"

Starfire stared at her, eyes flickering briefly with a greenish hue. She took a moment to wipe the juice from her mouth with the back of her hand before responding.

"I am fine."

Batgirl noticed the alien's grip on her spoon had tightened significantly..

"Have you seen Robin around?" Barbara asked innocently.

The spoon snapped.

"No. I have not."

Barbara helped herself to a bagel. "You're pretty tough on the silverware, huh?"

Starfire's eyes flashed suddenly, and she carefully dropped the remains of her utensil in the trash, "Sometimes I forget my own strength."

"Why, that almost sounds like a threat, Starfire."

"It is . . . " the taller girl paused as she searched for the right words, ". . . a fact."

_Subtlety is not her strong point._

"Well, then, since we're talking about facts, why don't I enlighten you with a few?"

Starfire glared at the redhead and then nodded slowly, "Go ahead."

"Robin is _my_ boyfriend. We were together long before the Titans ever formed, and while I admit we haven't seen each other in a few years, I plan to pick up right where we left off. So why don't you save both of us a lot of time and energy and back off?"

For a long moment, Starfire appeared too shocked to respond.

Batgirl took advantage of the female Titan's hesitation and continued, "Not that I blame you for trying. He's a great guy. In fact, he's probably the greatest guy you'll ever meet. But it's not meant to be."

She took another bite of her bagel and continued, mouth partially full, "Maybe you should date the green one. He's kind of funny, in a geeky---"

An exploding countertop interrupted her.

By the time the smoke cleared, Batgirl found herself staring up at a clearly angry, hovering extra-terrestrial.

"How dare you tell me what to do!" Starfire exclaimed, another starbolt manifesting in her hand, "You have no right to do so! You should go back to where you came from."

Batgirl assumed a combat stance, Batarang at the ready.

"Who's going to make me?"

A cool smile formed on the floating girl's face, "Perhaps I will."

The mirthless grin was returned by Barbara.

"Bring it on."

-----

Robin had begun the process at dawn. He had no idea how long it would take, but he'd left enough inquiries that he felt fairly confident he'd get results relatively soon.

_Not that I have much choice in the matter, _he thought glumly as he started up his motorcycle and began his trip back to the island, _It's out of my hands now._

For the hundredth time since waking up, he wondered how he had become so desperate. Although it would be easy to pin the blame on Bruce, he realized this particular choice was entirely his prerogative.

_But if it allows me to stay with the Titans . . ._

The young man continued to wonder if the ends did indeed justify the means all the way back to the Tower.

-----

Cyborg was just about to finish his painstakingly thorough wax job on the T-car when the floor of his lab trembled underneath his feet.

"Aw _man_, what now?"

He walked over to the nearest security monitor and ran a scan.

A few seconds later, he discovered the source of the disturbance.

He whistled softly to himself.

"This could be bad."

The oldest Titan sighed and absently rubbed the part of his head that was still flesh and blood. The question was, did he really want to be the one who broke them up?

The entire Tower shook this time.

"Whew! Starfire looks pretty mad . . ."

Ultimately, Victor Stone decided discretion was the better part of valor.

He turned up his internal Ipod, turned down his sensitivity to vibration, and turned away from the security console. A few minutes later, he was blissfully back at work.

-----

"Azarath! Mentrion! _Zinthos!_"

As the last mystical syllable left her lips, Raven's sorcery lashed out and cocooned both combatants. She had been too late to prevent major damage to the dining hall, kitchen area, and a large portion of the rec room, but at least the outer walls of the Tower hadn't been breached.

Yet.

"What is the matter with you two?" She asked incredulously.

"SHE STARTED IT!" both girls shouted in unison.

Already Raven felt the strain from Starfire's efforts to be free, and she was certain Batgirl would have something nasty up her sleeve in order to escape.

"If I let you go," Raven stated calmly to both combatants, "Will you stop fighting like little children over some stupid toy?"

Starfire and Batgirl continued to struggle for a few more seconds, but finally, both of them nodded.

Raven was pleased. She wouldn't have been able to hold Starfire much longer in any case. "Okay, then. Great. Here we go."

The black aura of magical energy dissipated and the three young women stared at each other. Raven hastily planted herself between the two rivals and pointed back to the dining hall. "I think you can both work off some of your energy by fixing what you just trashed. You wouldn't want Robin to see this!"

"Wouldn't want me to see what?"

Three sets of eyes shifted to look at the leader of the Titans.

Raven sighed as Starfire and Batgirl blushed.

-----

Several hours later, Robin was alone in the gym, moving through his typical regimen almost robotically. While his body was on auto pilot, his mind was racing.

He couldn't believe Starfire and Batgirl had gotten in a fight over him. Under different circumstances, he had to admit it would have been flattering, but right now, it was just more stupid crap he couldn't afford to deal with.

_Maybe it would be best to simply send Barbara back to Bruce. It's not like she's going to approve of what I've set in motion, anyway. _

He leapt from the rings and landed perfectly on the pommel horse. He began to swing his legs around the apparatus gracefully, first together, then in a scissor-like motion.

_I can't afford these distractions. Beating Bruce is going to take everything I have, both mentally and physically._

A few minutes later, the special com-link he has set up that morning chirped.

Robin immediately dismounted and checked the device.

His inquiry had been answered.

-----

The warehouse had seen better days.

Peeling paint, broken windows, and the faint smell of decay greeted Robin as he entered the rusting building from a dilapidated skylight. A few final, weak rays of sunlight escorted the Titan on his descent into the cool darkness below. Dusk would be but a memory all too soon, and the night would only make the desolate structure even more forlorn.

The imagery was not lost on Richard Grayson.

He set foot on the garbage-strewn floor of the warehouse and retracted his grapple. He surveyed his surroundings warily, allowing his eyes to adjust to the dark rather than using a flashlight. Some business was better done in the shadows.

"Hello, Robin."

Robin cursed silently. For the second time in less than a week, he hadn't been able to detect the person he had been on the alert for.

The tall man materialized out of the darkness, a single emotionless eye staring at the leader of the Titans.

"I must say, I am quite surprised you wanted to see me . . ." The voice was calm and mildly amused, its tone that of a killer who knew his victim could not escape, "but I'm always willing to see my former apprentice."

"Slade."

Robin practically spat the word.

"To what do I owe the honor, Robin?" Slade said with a hint of mockery.

He knew he had no choice. He was running out of time. All that he had worked for. All that the Titans had accomplished. It all came down to beating Batman. And the only man who could possibly show him how to do it was standing a few feet in front of him. Yet, they were the hardest words Robin had ever had to say.

"I need your help."


	8. Descent

"You are full of surprises, Robin," Slade said matter-of-factly, slowly circling the young man, like a predator stalking its prey, "But why should I want to help you?"

Robin kept his eyes on the man, not allowing him out of his sight. His muscles tensed for defensive action while his heart beat rapidly.

He had never beaten Slade one-on-one. His robot duplicates, certainly, but never the true, flesh and blood foe. Every victory he had enjoyed came with the help of his teammates, and those victories were often hard fought, perilously razor thin successes. Only one other opponent had been able to thwart him so completely and consistently.

And that opponent was Bruce.

"For the same reason you do anything, Slade," Robin replied, "To feed your own overblown ego."

Slade chuckled, finally stopping in a particularly dark patch of shadows, single eye gleaming in the twilight.

"Your sales pitch needs work."

Robin swallowed hard, wanting nothing better than to knock that arrogant tone out of his adversary with his fists. _Calm down, Dick, _he thought fiercely, _Don't lose sight of the ultimate goal._

"You've wanted me as an apprentice from the moment we've met," he replied, carefully masking his anger, "You went to great lengths to accomplish this goal. Hell, you even blackmailed me by almost killing my teammates. You sent the H.I.V.E. after us, Thunder and Lightning, and others. Countless plots and massive amounts of money and material, all designed to compel me to be your protégé."

Slade stood silently as Robin paused, the facemask hiding all reaction.

"And now, when I come to you _voluntarily, _you pretend you're going to turn me down? Deny me when you finally have the opportunity to prove your superiority?"

Robin stepped closer to his greatest enemy, pleased to see Slade tense slightly, "I don't think so. You can't squander this chance. Your pride won't allow you to. So why don't we cut through the crap, Slade, and get down to business?"

An icy silence descended as the two men stared at each other.

_Well, that's my best shot. Either he takes the bait or I'm in for the fight of my life._

Slade's reptile-like eye widened ever so slightly.

"My, my, Robin. You _must_ be desperate," He intentionally turned his back on Robin, as if being in a position of vulnerability was of absolutely no consequence, and began to walk in a languid circle once again, "It would be uncharitable of me to deny such a . . . anxious request, even if from an ungrateful, stubborn child."

Robin bristled at that remark, but quickly composed himself. _That's exactly what he wants me to do. Don't give him the satisfaction._

Slade continued. If he was disappointed by Robin's lack of response, it was not evident in his tone.

"But I do wonder, Robin, what your little friends think of this appeal?"

"They aren't involved in this, Slade," Robin replied quickly. Perhaps a little too quickly, "This is between you and me."

Slade stopped pacing and stared at the Titan.

"You haven't told them."

The words were as soft as silk, but within the quiet, the danger was palpable.

-----

Raven walked into her room and wearily shut the door behind her.

Dinner had not gone well.

Of course, everything had been fine as far as Beast Boy and Cyborg were concerned. They ate massive amounts of food as always (their level of consumption defied logic considering one was so scrawny and the other was half metal), totally oblivious of the tension between their female companions. Raven's empathic abilities easily picked up the raw aggression radiating from Starfire, and she could also detect the sheer contempt emanating from Batgirl. If she hadn't sat between the two of them, Raven was certain another fight would have broken out right at the table.

Of course, if Robin had bothered to show up, things would have been easier.

She removed her cloak and took a long, cleansing breath. Her room was always a refuge of tranquility within the Tower. The one place where the . . . idiocy . . . of her teammates could not touch her.

Now, all she had to do was meditate for an hour or so, and her mind would be at ease once again.

Raven had just begun to hover when she spied a folded piece of paper placed carefully on her pillow. A wave of a hand brought the paper to her.

She opened it up and began to read:

_Raven,_

_I'm going to be gone for a few days. You and the team will have to look over the city on your own. I know you'll do fine. Please don't look for me. This is something that I have to do alone. If all goes well, I'll be back in a few days._

It was signed with an R surrounded by a circle.

She read it twice more before setting it down.

For some reason this short message gave her a bad feeling, as if those simple sentences portended something dark. Normally, Raven wasn't much for hunches, but somehow she felt she should trust her instincts now.

Her concern was replaced by irritation when Raven realized she would have to be the one to break the news to Starfire and Batgirl.

"Where are you, Robin?" she wondered aloud to no one in particular.

-----

Slade Wilson, also known in less savory and much more lethal circles as Deathstroke, was amused. This young man's pathetic attempt to manipulate him was as laughable as it was sincere. While he had no doubt Robin would never voluntarily serve again as his apprentice, the Titan's need for his help rang true.

Robin needed him for something, and that gave Slade control.

The question of the moment was how best to take advantage of the situation.

"What exactly do you need my help with, Robin?" he said carefully, analyzing the Titan's body language for subtle clues and insight.

The young man didn't answer at first, no doubt trying to figure out an answer that would continue his unfortunately transparent ruse.

"There is an opponent I have to face," Robin began slowly, "Someone who has great skill. He's a threat both to me and the team. I have to take him down." The teen trailed off, uncertain how to continue.

"And you don't think you can best him."

Robin looked away from him, eyes downcast.

"No."

"Who is it?"

Robin glared at him. "That's none of your concern."

_That's all right, Robin. I know much more than you think._

"Very well," Slade said smoothly, allowing some distain to pepper his words as he attempted to bait the Titan once again, "I suppose it doesn't matter. Skilled as you are, there are plenty of superior fighters out there."

He paused, waiting for Robin to continue. While he knew the teen would never beg, forcing him to continually request for entertaining enough.

"That may be, Slade, but I never felt the need to be completely ruthless."

"What you call ruthlessness, I consider efficiency."

"Killing is the easy way out."

"Oh, it never starts out easy, Robin, but it does get easier each time you do it," He leaned forward, intentionally violating the Titan's personal space, "And I've done it so many times that the word _ease_ hardly does justice to my effortlessness."

Robin's fists clenched. His eyes narrowed.

Slade finally thought he pushed the boy over the edge.

But once again, the Titan regained his composure.

"Are you going to help me or not?"

"Certainly. I've always said you haven't lived up to your potential. Too bad it took you this long to come to this logical conclusion."

Robin didn't reply.

_Good boy. You are learning to control your emotions much better than before._

"How long do we have before this confrontation, Robin?"

"Four days, but I'm going to want a full day of rest beforehand."

"So three days, then."

The teen nodded.

"72 hours is not sufficient time for me to teach you much."

"It's all the time I have. Deal with it. You're the one always going on and on about your superiority and how you have so much to teach me. Now's your chance to prove it."

The Titan stared at him.

"Otherwise, I'm just wasting my time here."

Slade laughed.

It was a cold, harsh sound.

He extended his hand.

"Very well. Why don't we shake on it?"

Robin looked down at his hand with thinly veiled disgust.

At last, the young man took it.

And was immediately thrown violently into a nearby pile of rotted crates.

"Let us begin."


	9. Loss

Batgirl was tired of waiting.

Nearly three days had passed since she had last seen Robin.

When Raven first told them that Robin had gone off on his own for awhile, she took it in stride. Unlike Starfire, who seemed find it impossible not to wear her emotions on her sleeve, Barbara read the note calmly and pondered the meaning behind Dick's seemingly simple message.

She had no doubt it related to his upcoming confrontation with Batman.

While Barbara was curious what her boyfriend was up to, she decided to give him some space. He was under a lot of pressure, and her presence apparently wasn't giving him the support she had hoped. Of course, the fact that she thought he was nuts to want to stay with the Titans instead of returning to Gotham hadn't helped matters much.

Fighting with the alien bimbo wasn't one of her greatest moments, either.

Add in years of experience dealing with Batman's brooding, and she wasn't all that worried.

On the first day without their de facto leader, the Titans went about their normal business. Cyborg stepped up into the leadership role as the team prevented various run-of-the-mill crimes. Downtime was spent indulging in seemingly endless banter, marathon video game sessions, horrible cooking excursions (tofu waffles?), and various other normal teen activities. She even joined them in a Tower top volleyball game.

Spiking Starfire in the face was a particularly memorable highlight.

Nearly being decapitated the next time the alien served the ball was something she'd rather forget.

Batman never had time for fun and games, so all in all it was a nice change of pace. Although she did wonder how carefree the Titans would be if they had to handle depraved psychos like the Joker on a regular basis.

Day two was when she started to get bored.

She ran through Robin's various training programs in the morning, marveling at the difficulty of some of the courses. Bruce was a harsh taskmaster, but Dick had not let up once out of his mentor's shadow. She had gotten as thorough a workout as any she'd endured in the Batcave. It was no wonder he wasn't getting anything out of their sparring sessions earlier in the week. He hadn't lost any of his skill these past few years.

In fact, Barbara had to admit, he'd only gotten better.

The afternoon was spent perusing the team's computer files. Their content was enlightening and, in some cases, rather entertaining. While Batman's files were always factual, dry and to the point, the Titans' accounts varied wildly. Apparently, all five of them took turns updating. Beast Boy's smart ass comments about the villains were often hilarious, topped only occasionally by Cyborg's artful putdowns.

Only one villain's file was written consistently by Robin, who mimicked Bruce's clinical style perfectly. There were no jokes about this adversary. Someone known only as Slade. According to Dick, this enemy could even put Bruce through his paces.

Maybe the Titans had fought some worthy foes after all.

By late afternoon, she was starting to feel a bit cooped up in the Tower. So when the alarm sounded during dinner, Batgirl was grateful to accompany the others as they responded to trouble in the city.

She soon regretted it.

At first, she thought their opponent was laughable. Some overweight, uber-fanboy with a bad hair cut and even worse wardrobe named Control Freak. But it soon turned into the most surreal battle of her young life.

At one point they were fighting Freddy Kruger, Darth Vader, Sauron, and some anime guy with really bad hair, all of whom conjured up from this guy's apparently omnipotent remote control. The Titans seemed to take it all in stride as reality changed around them, while she kept thinking about how nice Gotham's dour skyline would have looked right then. It didn't help that Control Freak kept shouting at her about being an "unannounced, superfluous guest star."

The jerk even had the nerve to ask her for Batman's autograph once they finally took him down.

It had been hard to sleep that night.

Today was the third day of Robin's self-imposed exile, and she had had enough.

The battle with Batman was looming.

_What could he possibly be doing?_

For the first time, Batgirl began to worry. Starfire's initial concern about Robin didn't seem quite so pathetic now. However much she couldn't stand the flying little princess, Barbara knew the extra-terrestrial's feelings for Robin were heartfelt. Maybe there _was _something to be concerned about. Dick had done some foolish things in the past, especially when he felt he had to prove something to Bruce.

She glanced up at the noonday sun and made a decision.

It was time to track him down.

As she left the roof of the Tower and made her way down the stairs, Batgirl's mind went into overdrive.

While she knew Robin as well as anyone could, and perhaps even better than Batman himself, she did not know Jump City. She needed someone with local knowledge to aid her. At the same time, she wanted to minimize the Titans' involvement. That meant she needed someone easy to convince, but also easy to manipulate. Particularly someone who wouldn't give her too much trouble when the time came to ditch them.

Only one Titan fit that bill.

-----

"Hey, Beast Boy!"

"Gaah!"

The youngest Titan jumped nearly a foot in the air as he turned to see Batgirl standing in front of his open bedroom door. He hastily covered himself with a sheet as he realized he was still in his underwear. Only seconds earlier, he had been peacefully dreaming.

"Sorry," the redhead said, coming in and making herself at home on the only chair not covered with dirty laundry and other sundry objects, "But I figured you'd be up by now. It _is_ after noon, you know."

Beast Boy stifled a yawn.

"Yeah, well, Cyborg and I had a Militant Mutant Monkeys DVD marathon last night. That battle with Control Freak reminded us how cool that old show was!"

Bargirl frowned.

_Oh, yeah, Major Mandrill really beat up on her during the fight. . ._

"Heh, heh," he laughed nervously, rubbing his head self-consciously, "So what can I do for you?"

Batgirl looked around his room with mild interest.

He began to wish he'd cleaned up a bit, or at least put away the girlie magazines.

"I was wondering if there was a decent place to get some pizza in this town? I'm really missing East Coast food."

Beast Boy beamed, "Oh yeah! Dude, we have this place we go to all the time! It serves the best supreme-veggie pizza! Let me go get Cyborg and we can—"

"Oh, that's all right," she replied quickly, "Cyborg's in the middle of overhauling the T-Sub. He's the one who told me to come see you."

"Oh, okay. Well, then, Star and Raven are probably hungry, so—"

"They're meditating."

Batgirl stood up, "So I guess it's just you and me, then." She paused, tossing her long red hair and smiling at him, "If that's okay with you?"

She winked.

It took a few seconds for him to find his voice.

"Uh, yeah! Great!"

_Dude, I think she's HITTING on me!_

_  
_"Well, then, I'll give you a few minutes to get ready."

-----

A few hours (and an entire pizza) later, Barbara was beginning to feel a bit guilty. Beast Boy was immature and girl crazy, but a nice enough guy underneath. He had insisted on paying for the meal and had been a perfect gentleman, although he was clearly crushing on her.

Still, she needed to find Robin.

"So, where do you think he is?"

"Where who is?" Beast Boy was concentrating on polishing off the last of his crust.

"Come on. You know who I mean. Robin."

"Oh, yeah," the green Titan considered the possible whereabouts of his leader for approximately half a second, "Who knows?"

Batgirl sighed. _This is going to take some work._

"Aren't you worried about him?"

"Worried about Robin? No way. He can take care of himself."

"What if he's in trouble?"

"Dude! Robin can handle anything! He's, like, the best fighter I've ever seen."

Batgirl folded her arms and looked away.

"Ah, present company excluded, of course!" Beast Boy quickly added.

Batgirl continued to pretend to be offended.

"Hey, I'm sorry! You're really good, too!"

"For a girl, you mean."

"No, no!" he stammered, "I think you're awesome! You know, with the Batarangs and the utility belt and all that!"

She continued to avoid eye contact. _Can it really be _this_ easy?_

"I'm sorry! Really!" He went around the table and stood by her, "How can I make it up to you?"

_Bingo._

She made a sad face and finally looked at him, "I'm just really worried about Robin. We're been . . . friends for a long time, and I just want to make sure he's okay. Do you—" she pretended to wipe a tear, "Do you think you can track him down for me?"

Beast Boy appeared uncertain.

"I mean, you do have such cool animal powers!" She purposefully put a hand on his arm, "I bet a bloodhound or something could catch his scent."

Beast Boy brightened.

"Okay, but only to see if he's all right."

_Jackpot._

-----

It had taken several hours, but finally Beast Boy led them to a rundown industrial waterfront. Several abandoned warehouses dotted the area, but a few more minutes in canine form and the green hero tracked down Robin's custom motorcycle. It was carefully hidden under debris behind a dumpster that hadn't been emptied in what looked like months.

Beast Boy reverted back to human form and stretched.

"Well, he's got to be nearby. Robin's not going to just leave his bike behind," he shielded his eyes from the setting sun and looked up at the rooftops, "I guess I'll turn into a bird and scout around. Still, we should be getting back to the Tower, don't you think?"

A blow to the back of the head was Batgirl's reply.

She carefully caught his unconscious form and dragged Beast Boy into the shadows next to the motorcycle. She spent a few minutes hiding him from casual observation and took his communicator.

"I'm truly sorry, Beast Boy," she said to him, knowing he couldn't hear her, "But this is one reunion where three's a crowd."

She pulled out her grapple and fired into the air.

"And I strongly suggest you lose some of that naivety before it gets you killed."

-----

It was well after dark before she finally found him.

She had heard some noises coming from a broken skylight and quickly investigated. At first, Barbara thought he was battling a super-villain, but before she could jump into the fray to aid him, the two combatants stopped. The darkness of the warehouse prevented her from getting a good look at Dick's foe.

"Very good, Robin. That move was quite effective. Your mysterious opponent won't see it coming."

Robin muttered something in reply.

Realization dawned.

_They're sparring!_

"I believe we are just about out of time, Robin," the other man said, voice slithering out of the darkness.

Its tone immediately put Batgirl on edge. It had the same hint of threat she often heard from the Joker, Two-face, and the rest of the Arkham freaks.

It was the voice of an emotionless psychopath.

A killer.

_Just what the hell are you doing, Dick?_

Robin stood firmly and nodded.

"I thank you for the training, Slade, but don't think this changes anything between us. The Titans and I will take you down someday. Someday soon."

The man laughed.

The sound sent chills down Barbara's back.

_This guy could give Joker some lessons in creepiness._

_Wait a minute, _something in her mind clicked, _Did he say Slade?_

Her heart began to sink as she watched the grim tableau below.

"Ah, Robin, your simple adolescent threats are as pathetic as they are amusing," the armored man strode confidently into the weak light of the moon, single white eye boring into the Teen Titan.

Robin assumed a classic combat stance.

"Still, I shall look forward to our next meeting. If anything, it should prove more of a challenge than it usually is."

Slade mock-saluted the visibly angered young man and left.

Robin did not follow him.

Instead, he simply stood there, head down, lost in thought.

-----

Robin finally exited through the skylight nearly an hour later.

He was troubled.

_Just what have I done?_

The skills Slade had shown him over the past three days would prove very useful against Batman, mainly because they had originated from a variety of lethal martial arts Bruce had never decided to teach his ward. It might just give him the edge he needed.

But at what cost?

"Dick."

He spun, but not in time.

The blow to the face, fueled by anger and hurt, knocked him to the ground.

Any desire to retaliate vanished once he saw Barbara standing over him.

"How could you?" she whispered, eyes filling with tears, "How could you betray him like this? Betray me?"

"Barbara, it's not—"

"HOW COULD YOU!"

Batgirl spun and sprinted away into the darkness.

Robin laid there on the hard, cold roof for a long time, coppery taste of blood in his mouth.


	10. Concealment

As the wind brushed steadily against his face, Beast Boy dreamed of animals.

To be precise, he dreamed of _being_ animals.

Leaping high in the air as a dolphin only to crash back into the ocean with a tremendous splash.

Racing across the plains as a cheetah, feet barely touching the ground.

Basking on a rock as a lizard, sunlight seeping into every pour.

A hundred scents mingling together every time he breathed as a wolf.

Bowling bad guys over as an elephant.

He'd turned into hundreds of different animals during his young life, but he had to admit, the birds were probably his favorite.

Nothing beat the sheer joy of flying. Soaring high in the air, gliding along an updraft. Diving towards the ground at breath-taking speed, wind ruffling his feathers as his body dropped like a stone, only to pull out of the descent at the last possible instant.

It was pure joy.

So the jade Titan was a bit disappointed and more than a little confused when he came to. The air wasn't rushing past him because he was flying, but because he was on the back of Robin's motorcycle. A motorcycle which happened to be going rather quickly at the moment.

"Hey, what's going on?" he asked, tightening his grip around the driver.

"You're awake," Robin replied, "That's good."

The leader of the Titans slowed down and pulled off to the side of the road, coming to rest under the glow of a streetlamp. Beast Boy quickly realized by the position of the moon that several hours had passed since he had been in the alley with Batgirl.

_What happened? Where did she go?_

He gingerly touched the back of his head and hissed in pain.

_And why does my head hurt so much?_

"Are you okay, Beast Boy?"

He realized Robin was looking over his shoulder at him, concern clearly etched on his face.

"Yeah, but I don't know where Batgirl is."

A split-second later, he did a double take.

"Dude, what happened to your face? That's one heck of a bruise."

Robin looked away, "Don't worry about it."

"Batgirl and I came to look for you. Do you see her?"

"Yeah," he said quietly.

"Is she okay? Where did she go?"

"She's fine. I think she went back to Batman."

"Why would she do that? She didn't even say good-bye!"

Robin sighed, taking off his helmet and rubbing his eyes wearily.

"I don't know, but she's gone. Let's just leave it at that, okay?"

Beast Boy threw his hands up in disgust, "No way. Things haven't been normal with you since Batman showed up. Dude, what is going on? Why are you acting so weird lately?"

"It's difficult to explain."

"Try me."

Robin was silent. Beast Boy got off the motorcycle and walked in front until the two young men were face to face.

"Are you gonna talk to me or what? I thought we were friends."

"We _are_ friends," Robin replied, "And very soon I'll explain everything. For now, I just need you to trust me."

Beast Boy looked away in anger, "Dude, how can I trust you when you don't tell me anything?"

Robin stared at him but did not speak.

"Fine. Keep your secrets," Beast Boy began to walk off, then stopped abruptly. "You know, I used to think you were nothing like Batman. But I was wrong. You are two of a kind."

He transformed into an owl and disappeared into the dark sky, leaving a sullen Robin behind.

-----

Robin parked the bike and made his way to the main chamber of the Tower. He hadn't eaten much during Slade's training sessions. He'd make a quick snack and then hit the sack. He needed to be well rested for tomorrow night's confrontation with Bruce.

He hadn't even opened the refrigerator when he was discovered.

"Well, well, well. Look what the cat dragged in."

Cyborg got up from the couch and walked over to the dining area.

"Hello, Cyborg."

"About time you got back. What's it been? Three days?"

"Something like that." Robin sat down at the kitchen table and began to eat.

Cyborg watched him for a while, arming folded casually, almost as if he was studying his leader. He didn't speak again until Robin was almost finished.

"You gonna tell us where you've been?"

"I had some personal business to take care of."

"Important stuff?"

"Yeah. Something like that."

"Important enough to leave the team twisting in the wind?"

Robin set down his fork hard. The sound echoed harshly in the silence of large open chamber.

"I knew you could handle things without me," he said through gritted teeth.

"Oh yeah, we can handle it," the large young man replied casually, finally taking a seat across from the other teen-ager. "But it would have been nice to have had some way to reach you when the shit hit the fan."

"I had my communicator with me."

"Yeah," Cyborg leaned forward, "Too bad you turned it off."

Robin's eyes widened.

"See, I tried to contact you," For the first time, some anger seeped into the metallic Titan's voice, "We ran into Control Freak again a couple days ago, and your help would have made that whole thing a lot easier."

"I'm sorry about that, Cyborg. My mistake."

"Sure, sure," the oldest Titan appeared to shrug it off, but Robin wasn't fooled. "There's just one thing that bothers me."

Robin braced himself before replying.

"What's that?"

"You don't make that kind of mistake. Beast Boy, maybe. But you? I don't think so. You turned it off on purpose."

Cyborg stared at his leader, human eye almost as stern and unforgiving as his robotic one, "And I'd really like to know why."

"I can't go into it right now."

"Cut the crap, Robin. You've been acting strange all week. You can bullshit your way past Beast Boy, but not me. This has something to do with Batman, right? Your odd behavior. Batgirl showing up. You disappearing for days. Level with me. What's going on?"

Robin avoided his gaze and did not speak.

"Man, we just want to help you. We're a team. Whatever it is, we can get through it together."

"Not this time," Robin replied bitterly, "This is something I have to do on my own."

"Why are you so damn stubborn?" Cyborg shouted, clearly angry, "I thought you put all this crap behind you when we defeated Slade that first time. You don't have to go it alone anymore. None of us have to. That's why we formed the damn Titans in the first place."

"But what if there was no more Titans?" Robin retorted, voice beginning to rise as well, "What if the team disbanded? What then?"

"That's not gonna happen. We've got a good thing going here. We all know that. No one's planning on bailing."

"What if we don't have a choice?"

Cyborg paused, confusion clouding the human side of his face.

"Robin, what the hell are you talking about?"

"Don't you get it?" Robin shouted, finally letting his pent up frustration, doubt, and fear erupt, "He gave me an ultimatum! If I don't beat him, he's going to destroy the Titans."

"Who is? Batman? He's one of the _good_ guys. Why would he want to do that?"

"Because he can!" Robin stood up, spreading his arms for emphasis, "Because he thinks it's the right thing to do!"

Robin spun around and began to leave, "Because he believes I need to return to Gotham for more training and he's going to do whatever he damn well needs to do in order to make that happen. That's the way he is."

He paused at the doorway to the living quarters and looked back at Cyborg.

"So cut me some fucking slack and let me handle this, okay?"

Robin stormed off.

Cyborg stared at the empty doorway.

"Dude, that's messed up."

-----

Raven awoke early the next morning.

She immediately sensed Robin's presence in the Tower. His emotions were literally blaring across the entire building. The young empath was used to such mental bombardment from Starfire, but usually the Tamaranean pelted her with saccharine feelings of happiness, wonder, and kindness.

Robin's current state of mind could best be described as caustic. An acerbic broth of bitterness, anxiety, and aggression assaulted her, laced with a level of determination Raven hadn't sensed in her friend since the do-or-die confrontation with Trigon all those months ago. Whatever had been bothering Robin obviously hadn't been resolved, in fact, it seemed to have only gotten worse.

_I thought his little disappearing act was so he could take care of whatever was tormenting him. _

She rose from her bed, instinctively willing her cloak to envelope her as she floated across her room and phased through the wall.

Seconds later, she found herself in Robin's room.

The chamber's owner was currently doing one-handed pushups clad only in his underwear.

"Did you forget how to knock, Raven?"

Raven blushed. _Okay, now this is awkward._

"I'm sorry, Robin. It's just that you're broadcasting some very powerful emotions right now. I just wanted to make sure everything was all right."

Robin switched hands in mid-motion, beginning another set of pushups. If being half-naked in front of her ever concerned him, it obviously didn't at the moment.

"Do you have any idea how tired I am dealing with people making sure I'm okay?"

Raven found herself becoming distracted by the young man's near perfect physique and so looked away, taking in her surroundings instead.

"We're only asking because we care."

"Yeah, well, I'm fine."

Raven sighed. "You're lying."

Robin began to do a series of regular pushups, this time clapping between each one. "So what? Let it go, Raven. I've got enough on my mind."

Becoming annoyed, she finally reached out with her magic and caught her leader in a black cocoon. Before he could protest, she brought him to her, until they were face to face.

"Let me help you," Raven whispered, "Please."

His brow began to furl in anger, but suddenly relaxed. She sensed gratefulness bubble up from his psyche for a few seconds, only to be subsumed by that overpowering determination yet again.

"Raven," he said earnestly, "I appreciate what you're trying to do. And I'm lucky to have someone like you as a friend. But this is something I have to do on my own."

He smiled grimly.

"Surely you, of all people, understand the need to keep some things personal."

Staring into his eyes, and sensing there was no way to change his mind, Raven reluctantly let him go.

He affectionately placed his hand on her cheek. It felt so warm.

She began to feel some powerful emotions of her own.

"Thank you," he murmured, turning away to continue exercising.

She watched him for a few minutes, but finally left the room. Although she sensed Robin's emotions had tempered, she realized nothing had really changed.

Something terrible was about to happen to him.

And apparently there was nothing she could do about it.

-----

He stayed in his room most of the day, practicing various martial arts moves, both the old and familiar as well as the new and lethal. After a quick lunch, he methodically checked his equipment, making sure each and every piece of his gear was in perfect operating condition.

Around dusk, he finally got the call he had been waiting for.

"Robin."

"I'm here."

"I'm sending the co-ordinates now. I'll be there in exactly two hours. Don't be late."

"I won't be."

"Alfred has your room ready. He's looking forward to seeing you again."

Batman terminated the connection before he could reply.

Dick Grayson carefully replaced the com-link.

He donned his costume methodically, double-checking to make sure everything was in place. Then he surveyed his room. It had been his home for the past two years. Two years that he could honestly say had been the best of his life so far. He wondered idly if he'd ever come back here again.

Finally, he left.

There was only one more thing he had to do.

He had to talk to Star.


	11. Reckoning

Starfire's room was dark and empty.

As usual, she had not locked her door.

She _never_ locked her door, no matter how many times he suggested she do so.

Tamaraneans had some unusual ideas about privacy. It was just one of the thousand cultural differences Robin and the rest of the Titans had had to adjust to once they "adopted" the extra-terrestrial princess. Many, like Starfire's enthusiastic appreciation of mustard, were odd or simply amusing. Some, such as her naivety when dealing with villains, were troublesome and even dangerous. But only one trait was uniquely exasperating and embarrassing to Robin:

Starfire's obvious affection towards him.

He wasn't certain when the attraction started, although, in hindsight, she _had_ kissed him ten minutes after they first met.

He smiled in the darkness.

_Yeah, that should have been your first clue, Dick._

Somewhere along the way, he realized he was attracted to her as well.

And why not?

She was brave. She was strong. She was kind.

And she was beautiful.

Not that he hadn't fought it. Bruce's conditioning was pretty thorough.

_Keep it professional, Robin. _

_Don't let personal feelings get in the way of what has to be done, Robin._

_The mission comes first, Robin. Everything else is secondary._

But in the end, when they found themselves stranded on that alien planet, everything came to a head. He came as close to admitting how he felt as he could, and she had seemed to accept that. Things began to progress from there.

Too bad Batman showed up to ruin everything.

Robin sighed, but his melancholy quickly evaporated as he saw Silky hanging upside down in his homemade cage, chewing happily on some unrecognizable leftover from the fridge. His eyes lingered on Starfire's room, taking in her décor and furnishings. Even now, with everything bearing down on him, there was something about her that could make him smile.

He left the room purposefully.

There was only one place she could be.

- - - - -

"Please excuse the interruption, sir."

Slade looked up at the old man, setting the sword and rag he was using to polish it on the workbench in front of him.

"What is it, Wintergreen?"

"Our contacts have confirmed sighting the Batwing."

"ETA?"

"It should be here in a little over an hour, sir."

"Are our resources in place?"

"Yes, sir."

"Excellent. Make certain you alert me as soon as we know exactly where he's going."

"Of course, sir."

The butler bowed and left the room.

Slade hefted the broad sword easily in one hand, twirled it, and sheathed it in one smooth motion. He strapped the scabbard onto his back, and began to clean the rest of his weapons. In the past, he hadn't bothered arming himself when dealing with the Titans. Frankly, he hadn't needed them.

But tonight, he was hunting bigger prey.

- - - - -

He found her, as expected, sitting on the roof of the Tower. Legs dangling over the edge, Starfire was looking out to sea.

Sunset was but a memory by now. Both the moon and stars had laid claim to the sky, sharing it with only a few wispy clouds here and there. In the distance, the bridge was silhouetted by the pale moonlight and everything appeared to be quiet and peaceful. Even the scent of the ocean seemed muted somehow.

At this moment, here in this place, time stood still.

Staring at her like this, he felt a calm he had almost forgotten.

It was almost a shame he had to break the silence.

"Hello, Starfire."

She flinched slightly and turned to look at him, eyes wide and filled with tears. She immediately wiped them away and attempted to smile, failing miserably.

"Hello, Robin."

He was shocked at the visceral response her sadness had on him. He felt sick to his stomach at the thought he had caused her pain. It was all he could do to prevent himself from embracing her and doing anything he could to take that hurt away.

"I'm . . ." he stopped for a moment, old tendencies beginning to reassert themselves. The words did not want to come, trapped within emotional barriers he had erected years ago. But somehow he managed to continue, "I'm sorry, Starfire. For everything."

"Robin, I—"

He walked up to her and gently placed a few fingers to her lips, "Sshh. I need to get through this, and then you can talk. Okay?"

She opened her mouth again to speak, but then closed it and nodded.

He noticed to her surprise that she was no longer taller than he was. He could look at her without having to tilt his head. When had that happened, he wondered. And why hadn't he noticed it until now?

Starfire looked at him expectantly, orange skin taking on a lovely hue in the moonlight. He allowed himself to get lost in her eyes for a few moments. There was nothing but kindness there, mingled with honesty and decency.

All of which surrounded by what he had to admit was love.

And it scared him.

He knew by his recent actions, he wasn't worthy of her devotion.

"I know the past week hasn't been easy for you," he began, excoriating himself for his words even as he uttered them. They were awkward and pathetic. But it was the best he could do, and so he continued, "Please understand that I never wanted to hurt you. It's just that---I'm not good at this."

He looked away in frustration.

"You have to understand something, Star. Batman trained me for years. I have a black belt in six different martial arts. I can drive or pilot just about any vehicle. I know forensics, criminal psychology, computer programming, and a dozen other fields. I have all the skills of a paramedic and a thorough background in tactics and strategy. And, while I'm no Cyborg, my mechanical and engineering talents get the job done."

He finally met her gaze again.

"Batman taught me all of these things, but he failed me in one respect. He never taught me how to handle relationships. Especially the kind of special relationship we have. Like I said, I'm just not good at this, and I'm a guy who's used to being good at just about everything."

"Robin, no one expects you to—"

"Let me finish, Star."

Unhappy at his interruption, she nevertheless nodded once again.

"You can't imagine how frustrating this whole thing is for me. I can lead the Titans against a demon that has taken over the world, but I can't handle a relationship with a girl I'm attracted to and truly respect."

He closed with her, holding her gently by the arms.

She blushed, the color in her cheeks barely perceptible in the near darkness.

"But I don't care about that anymore, Starfire. I want us to be together," he paused, only inches from her face, "And we will be, just as soon as I take care of one last thing. After tonight, whatever Batman did or didn't teach me won't matter anymore."

He smiled at her.

"I just wanted to tell you before I left."

He kissed her before she could reply.

And he had to admit, it was about damn time.

- - - - -

He arrived at the arena with ten minutes to spare.

He hid his motorcycle carefully and fired his grapple.

A few minutes later, he was on the roof and making his way to the roof access Batman had told him would be open.

It was the off season, and the basketball arena wasn't being used tonight for a concert or other special event. A subsidiary of Wayne Enterprises had the security contract for the building, and a few unauthorized changes in the work schedule had left the edifice completely deserted until the next morning.

This particular competition would have no witnesses.

He was a little surprised, therefore, when he saw Batgirl standing guard.

She acknowledged him with a curt nod.

"He's waiting for you inside."

Robin stopped at the doorway.

"I didn't realize you were going to be here, Barbara."

"I'm just monitoring the perimeter. This isn't something I want to see, anyway."

"Look, about what you saw—"

She held up a hand dismissively.

"That's between you and him, Robin."

He flinched at her use of his codename. Even with the cowl, he could tell she was still upset, and more than a little angry.

"Whether you believe me or not, I would never betray you or Bruce. I was just taking a page out of his book, by using every resource available to get the job done."

She stared at him, "If you say so."

He was about to reply, but she cut him off.

"You better hurry. You know he hates to wait."

- - - - -

Robin stood in the middle of the arena, thousands of empty seats fading away into the darkness above him. The emergency exit signs lent an eerie radiance to the vast chamber. His eyes adjusted to the dim illumination. To any casual observer, the Titan seemed calm and poised, but inside his heart was pounding. Everything had come down to this moment.

When Batman's wraithlike form materialized out of the shadows, he finally made the connection.

His nightmare.

He finally realized why it had shaken him so badly all those days ago.

It wasn't the death of his parents that had to disturbed him.

It was _him_.

Batman.

And now his nightmare was made manifest in the real world, towering above him in an immense empty structure of cold concrete, unyielding steel, and dark glass.

For a few terrible seconds, he was ten years old again, an orphan with nowhere to turn to. But then, he swallowed hard and straightened to his full height.

"Hello, Bruce."

Batman nodded.

Robin attacked.


	12. Battle

Two Birdarangs arced gracefully through the semidarkness, metal glinting in the feeble glow of the distant exit signs. Their smooth and rapid journey was abruptly halted by a single Batarang which deflected both projectiles harmlessly into the stands.

An instant later Robin launched himself into a perfect flying kick, which Batman dodged effortlessly, just as the teen assumed he would. The Titan landed and immediately attempted a reverse leg sweep. His mentor barely leapt out of the way in time; Robin's foot briefly brushed an ankle before it moved back out of reach.

He continued to press the attack, elongating his battle staff and using the advantage of the weapon's reach to keep his adversary at bay. Batman in turn used the reinforced gauntlets on his forearms to casually block each and every thrust. Finally, when the staff came perilously close to his face, did the Dark Knight appear to have had enough. He pivoted as the Titan thrust at him with the staff, allowing the weapon slide pass him and drawing Robin within striking range.

He lashed out with a fast side kick, catching his ward solidly in the chest. At the same time, he locked the staff against his torso with his arm.

Robin grunted as he was driven backward, losing his staff in the process.

Batman twirled the staff momentarily and then tossed it aside.

"Sloppy, Robin. You just lost your primary weapon."

"Shut up."

The leader of the Titans moved in again, this time leading with a quick series of jabs and punches. Batman blocked, deflected, or dodged each of these in turn. Finally, once Robin's onslaught faltered slightly, he took the offensive.

_Damn, he's still so fast!_

Robin ducked and evaded as many punches as he could, while attempting to regain the initiative with a well-placed counterattack. Finally, he decided to take a punch in order to bypass Batman's careful defense. As the fist connected with his face, the teen rolled with it, avoiding most of the damage. He spun with the blow, swinging his elbow out as he turned, hoping for a solid blow to the head or torso.

He was rewarded when his elbow slammed into the Batman's stomach.

The larger man backed off a step and smiled.

"Well done, Robin. Excellent use of your inherent quickness."

The Titan answered with a kick to the head.

Batman dodged slightly, caught the foot, and pulled the teen off balance.

Before Robin could recover the Dark Knight swept his other leg out from under him and he crashed to the floor. Only a quick backwards somersault enabled him to avoid a punishing blow to the head.

He barely got to his feet when Batman continued his assault, driving him further and further back.

_It's no good. He's too much for me._

Robin ducked under yet another punch, only to fall victim to a knee which drove hard into his face. The world flashed white for a second and he was dazed.

Batman stood up straight, allowing the Titan a moment to regain his bearings.

"You've gotten quite good, Robin. I'm not holding back at all and yet you're still standing. You should be proud. But you can't win. You must realize that."

Robin shook his head in order to clear it and wiped his face with the back of his hand. It came away with blood

_Shit! He broke my damn nose._

Robin assumed a defensive stance, deciding to allow Batman to come to him this time. The Dark Knight led with a kick this time. The Titan blocked it to the best of his ability, but the blow had so much force that he found himself sliding backwards at least a yard.

_At this rate I'll be in the fricking stands before too long._

He could already see the foul line under his feet.

He tumbled to the side and bolted for the opposite side of the basketball court, tossing a few smoke bombs behind him. He scooped up his staff in the process and pole-vaulted about eight rows up into the stands. Then he turned.

_I guess I have no choice . . ._

Batman walked steadily out of the smoke cloud and looked at him.

Robin threw another Birdarang at him.

Batman dodged it, but was caught off guard when it exploded behind him. The force of the explosion threw the Dark Knight up into the stands.

. . . _time to try it Slade's way._

- - - - -

It wasn't until she heard the explosion that Batgirl began to worry.

"What the hell are they doing?"

She began to move towards the roof access, but then stopped, uncertain.

Batman's orders were clear. She was to stay on the roof and make sure they were undisturbed during the exercise.

That's what Batman had called it.

An exercise.

_As if beating the crap out of each other was just another part of the daily regimen._

Batgirl sighed.

_Idiots. Both of them are idiots._

She turned away from the door and shivered. It was much colder here on the waterfront at night, especially when on top of an exposed roof.

But she had to admit most of her chill came from within.

_I can't believe Dick went to a known criminal in order to beat Bruce. What was he thinking? And why is Bruce forcing Dick to do this in the first place? Can't they see their stubbornness is going to destroy their relationship?_

Sudden movement flickered out of the corner of her eye.

She barely ducked in time as a sword sliced through the air where she had been standing. She twisted sharply a second later, having to use all of her natural acrobatic grace to avoid a second strike. As it was, she lost some of her red hair to the blade.

Unfortunately, her contortions left her wide open to a devastating kick to the gut.

"My, my," a quiet voice remarked, "Aren't we quite the gymnast."

Stomach still sloshing like so much jelly, Batgirl immediately realized the danger she was in. But her first priority was to warn Bruce and Dick.

She got back to her feet quickly and threw as many Batarangs as possible, hoping to buy herself a few precious seconds.

Her assailant blocked all but one of them with his sword.

The last projectile he simply caught.

"How disappointing. I was hoping for more of a warm up."

Batgirl backed off, activating her com-link.

"You're going to get plenty of action in a few seconds, Deathstroke. They know you're coming now."

Deathstroke tossed the Batarang casually, sword resting on his shoulder.

"I'm afraid not, little girl. You see, I've taken the precaution of blocking your little Bat signal." The single eye narrowed, as Batgirl's widened. "They won't know I'm coming until I decide to let them know."

Batgirl backed up another step, desperately considering if she could make it to the roof access before he cut her down. Without another word, she turned and bolted.

She made it five strides before a sharp pain exploded across the back of her head and Batgirl's world went black.

- - - - -

Batman had barely lifted himself out of the ruined seats when Robin attacked again. Disoriented by the blast, he was unable to move quickly enough to avoid the staff completely as it came down. He rolled slightly to the left, and the weapon smashed into his shoulder, nearly dislocating it.

Ignoring the pain, the Dark Knight kicked outward, connecting with the Titan and forcing him to fall backward several rows toward the court. He dropped a flash bang grenade to hopefully disorient the teen and give himself enough time to recover.

Robin dove away from the explosive, avoiding most of its effect, but in the process gave him the breathing room he needed.

_What was he thinking? This combat isn't supposed to be lethal._

More Birdarangs flew towards him. He launched a Bat grapple and was pulled far above the projectiles as they exploded below him. A piece of shrapnel sliced through his right calf, causing him to wince.

He swung out above the basketball court and dropped down into the open space.

"Robin!" He shouted, "What the hell are you doing?"

The Titan pole-vaulted back onto the court, landing a few yards away.

"Whatever it takes to win, Batman," Robin moved in for another wave of attacks, "Something I learned from you."

The blows were more viscous this time. He was aiming for his vital spots. His eyes, throat, groin, joints, and other weak spots. The moves were expertly performed. Only Batman's own mastery of the martial arts kept him from serious injury.

_I didn't teach him these moves._

He feinted with a punch to the torso. Robin failed to take the bait.

_Could he have come up with them on his own?_

He blocked another throat punch and attempted a kick. His calf ached as his injured leg took all his weight. The gambit worked, though, as the Titan suffered a solid connection to the thigh.

_I can't believe that. That's not Dick's style._

The staff nearly took off his head.

_Then again, who knows what he's picked up these past two years._

Robin lashed out with his staff again. This time Batman caught it with both hands and used his superior strength to rip it away. As the weapon clattered away into the darkness, Robin took advantage of the opening to punch him in the jaw.

He felt a sharp pain as a tooth came loose and shot out of his mouth, leaving a bloody trail in its wake.

He instinctively responded with a head butt, smashing into the teen's face.

Robin stumbled back, shielding his head with both arms.

Batman took the opening and kicked the Titan in the stomach as hard as he could.

The teen was lifted off the ground and landed in a heap nearly 15 feet away.

"Stay down, Robin. It's over."

He spit out a huge gob of blood and wiped his mouth.

Robin clambered to his knees, still hunched over.

"You're . . . gonna . . . have . . .to do . . .better . . . than that," he gasped, slowly getting to his feet. He wobbled a bit back and forth, before assuming a defensive stance.

"Robin, you can't win. You can barely stand."

Robin leapt at him again.

Batman took the hit and then grappled the teen. Robin attempted to squirm away, but he used his greater size and strength to get the Titan into a submission hold.

"Where did you learn those moves?"

Robin continued to resist, punching and kicking wildly.

Batman adjusted the headlock and wrapped an arm around the teen's neck.

"Answer me!"

He gradually applied more pressure and the Titan began to weaken. Still, his fists continued to rain down on his body. The Dark Knight simply closed his eyes, buried the pain, and waited for the inevitable.

"I'm not going to lose! I'm not!" The teen began to gasp as his air flow was gradually cut off.

Another painful minute passed.

"Let me go, damn you," Robin whispered weakly, "Let me go. . . "

"I'm sorry, Robin," and he sincerely was, "But this is the end. You've lost."

The Titan began go limp.

Several seconds later, he was unconscious.

Batman gently laid him down on the hardwood floor.

He checked his pulse.

Weak, but steady.

The Dark Knight stood up.

And immediately roared in pain as several shurikens embedded themselves in his back. The cape protected him from serious injury, but the sudden pain temporarily dropped the Dark Knight to his knees.

"I warned him to keep his distance," a smooth, silky voice called out from the darkness. "But I think Robin did quite admirably all things considered, don't you?"

A tall man dressed in black and orange armor walked casually onto the court. He stopped about 20 feet away, one hand grasping the hilt of a sword strapped on his back.

Eyes narrowing, Batman rose to his feet.

"I don't believe we've had the pleasure, Batman. Robin knows me as Slade, but you may call me Deathstroke."

He unsheathed the broadsword in one graceful motion and assumed a combat stance.

"Ready for Round Two?"

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Author's Note: Thanks for all of the wonderful comments and reviews. The next chapter will be the last, so if you haven't left a review yet or if you haven't reviewed me in awhile (you know who you are), please do so now!


	13. Graduation Day Part 1

A world of darkness had somehow become Richard Grayson's reality.

He floated aimlessly within the warm embrace of the nothingness, mind devoid of thought or emotion.

Nothing concerned him now.

There was no past to regret; no future to anticipate.

Even the present had faded away, like ripples on a dark pond.

Time and place had vanished into this featureless and placid void.

He welcomed the calm.

A total numbness, one of spirit, body, and mind, had descended upon him. It suffused his entire being and he felt a tranquility he doubted he had known since he was a baby. Perhaps not even since he had been in the womb.

He wondered idly if he was dead.

Had Bruce killed him?

The irony of that thought brought him a little out of his stupor. Memories began to coalesce out of the blackness. Faint apparitions of his life.

No, Bruce wouldn't do that.

Not matter the odds. No matter what horrible atrocities someone would commit. No matter how much easier it would make his life and the lives of those around him.

No matter how badly a psycho like the Joker deserved it, Bruce would not kill.

So he couldn't be dead.

"Of course you're not dead, honey."

He turned towards the source of the voice.

A man and woman stood there in the nothingness. They held each other affectionately, both dressed in gaudy uniforms of red and green, emblazoned with the words "The Flying Graysons" in yellow. The man clasped the woman gently around the waist, while the woman casually rested her head on the man's chest.

They looked so happy together, although a trace of sadness lined their faces.

It had been many long, lonely years since he had last seen them like this, but his heart leapt and the numbness vanished like so much mist before the dawn.

"Mom? Dad?" he whispered softly, as if the mere sound of his voice would somehow make them disappear.

"Hello, son," his dad said kindly, "It's good to see you again."

- - - - -

_He's good._

Further analysis would have to wait as Batman shifted all of his thought process to defense and survival.

Once again, the Dark Knight barely blocked a perfect strike to his head from his opponent's broadsword. As it was, the deflected blade still managed to neatly slice off one of the points on his cowl.

He attempted a kick, masking the sudden pain from his injured leg. His foe avoided it neatly and backed off a few steps.

"I must say that I'm a little disappointed, Batman," Deathstroke commented casually, as if the two of them were engaged in some benign competition, "I expected you to be much more of a challenge."

The single eye narrowed smugly, "Then again, Robin _is_ an apt pupil. He did more damage than I would have hoped."

"What are you talking about?" Batman demanded, throwing a few Batarangs.

Deathstroke dodged a couple, and then used his sword to slice clean through the final projectile.

"Don't be coy, Batman. It doesn't suit you," The armored man assumed a defensive stance and continued, "In fact, I really should be thanking you."

Batman carefully lowered a hand to his utility belt, mentally taking stock of what he had left. "Thanking me?"

_That's right, keep talking. All you psychopaths just love the sound of your own voices._

Deathstroke gestured towards Robin's fallen form with his sword, "It was your ultimatum which drove Robin to such desperate measures."

The single eye widened, as if touched by sudden madness.

"You brought my apprentice back to me. And when you're dead, I will be the only one left worthy to be his father!"

- - - - -

"I never thought I'd see you again!"

It was the cry of a ten year old boy.

It was the voice of Richard Grayson, a young man who lost his parents to a horrible crime. An orphan would spent the next seven years becoming someone who would do everything in his power to punish those who prey upon good people and cause pain and suffering.

It was not Robin's voice, and for that, he was somehow relieved.

He buried his face into his mother's bosom, letting all of his agony and longing out in long shuddering waves. She held him tenderly, as his father gently placed his firm hands on his shoulders. Together, they surrounded him in their unconditional love.

"Now, now. It's alright," she cooed, rocking him back and forth, "Ssssssh. What's all this, Richard? There's no need for all this . . . this sadness."

"It's alright, son," his father added, squeezing his shoulders, "We know it's been hard on you, but things turned out okay in the end."

His mother lifted his head and wiped away some tears.

"We are so proud of you, Richard," she said, smiling, "You've accomplished things we could only dream of."

He lost himself within their affection for a very long time.

It was as if he could somehow make up for all those long, lonely years if he simply kept holding them. They could stay like this forever, his family reunited.

All he had to do was keep his eyes closed and never let go.

But eventually, he came to a harsh, but undeniable truth.

"This isn't real, is it?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

His parents gently shook their heads.

He stepped back, suddenly ashamed of his emotion.

"This is just my subconscious, isn't it?" He angrily wiped his eyes, "I wanted to see you so badly that my mind simply conjured you up."

They didn't answer.

They didn't have to.

"But you're forgetting something very important, son," his father said simply.

"And what's that, _Dad?_" he said sarcastically.

"You're undergoing a crisis, Richard," his mother stated, "And you brought us here to help you through it."

"This is pointless," he muttered, looking away from them, "Talking to myself isn't going to get me anywhere."

"Don't talk to your mother that way, son," his Dad said firmly.

"But---"

"You heard me."

He sighed.

"Okay, fine. We'll try it your way."

His parents smiled.

"How, exactly, are you supposed to help me?"

"Clarity, son. We're here to give you clarity."

He blinked.

"I don't understand," he said flatly.

His mother smiled, reached out, and gently stroked his hair, the same way she had a thousand times before when he was a child.

"You've lost your way, honey. You're trying so hard to be something you don't have to be. Something you really don't want to be, if you'd just be honest with yourself."

"You don't have to be Batman," his father continued, "The sooner you realize that, the sooner you can move on with your life."

"I don't want to be Batman!" he protested.

His parents were silent, looking at him expectantly.

"I don't," he repeated, uncertainty beginning to well up within him.

"Then why are you acting just like him, Richard?" his mother asked.

- - - - -

_I need to end this. There's no telling what he may have done with Barbara._

He had waited patiently for his opponent to make a mistake, carefully analyzing Deathstroke's fighting style for a weakness, or at the very least, an opening. His adversary was nearly flawless, a master of at least a dozen martial arts, and the obvious source of the lethal combinations Robin had tried on him only a few moments before.

An unusual mixture of guilt, anger, and pride washed over him when he reached that conclusion. He realized now that Robin's actions were partially his fault.

_Did I indeed push him to this?_

At the same time, he was disappointed that Dick would consort with such a dangerous individual merely to have a better chance to defeat him. But deep inside, he had to admire the lengths the young man had gone to in order to reach his goal.

_After all, have I not done the same thing when dealing with Ras?_

The sword nearly disemboweled him and brought his current situation back to the forefront of his mind.

"I'm sorry, Batman, am I boring you?"

_He's a cocky one, and with good reason._

He assumed a defensive stance once again, but carefully pulled a special Batarang out of its compartment.

_With my current injuries, he has a significant advantage._

He flipped the projectile open behind his back.

_Time to level the playing field a bit._

He took a step back with his bad leg and pretended to stumble. To a certain extant it wasn't a ploy; the limb nearly buckled.

His opponent dove forward, sword raised high to deliver the very move he had named himself after.

Batman pitched the Batarang with a snap of the wrist.

Deathstroke's lone eye narrowed as he easily brought his blade down to intercept.

"Pathetic."

An instant later the projectile hit the sword and a massive electrical current surged through both the weapon and the man.

Batman artfully dodged to the side of his shuddering foe, landing a blow to the back of the head with an elbow, following by a perfect kidney punch.

Deathstroke staggered, and the broadsword clattered away.

Batman smiled.

"You're not the only one who can play dirty."

- - - - -

Robin stared at his parents with indignation.

"I'm nothing like him!"

His father's eyes filled with disappointment, as his mother spoke.

"You didn't tell your friends what was happening."

"It's not their fight!"

"You isolated yourself from those that care about you."

"I needed to do this on my own."

"You sought out a way to win, no matter the cost."

"I had to! He was going to shut down the team!"

"You consider yourself their leader," his father responded, "Yet you acted without them, like a lone wolf. How would Batman have done things any differently?"

For once, he had no answer.

He knew they were right.

"Richard," his mother approached him once more, taking his hands in hers, "It's not too late. You can still be your own man."

He stared into her loving eyes and began to tremble.

"How?" he asked, "I owe him so much!"

His father spoke up once more.

"It is true that Bruce Wayne took you in and trained you to become the remarkable young man you are today, but you owe him nothing more."

He began to protest, but his mother gently put her fingers to his lips.

"Tell me, Richard, does a child owe his parents so much that he is never to leave them and make a life of his own? Is he never to grow into an independent adult with dreams and aspirations that are his alone?"

Robin let his mother's words sink in.

And found them to be true.

"I understand."

"That's my boy!" his dad exclaimed, clapping him on the shoulder.

"Good-bye, Richard," his mom whispered, kissing him on the cheek before withdrawing into the loving embrace of her husband.

"Good-bye, mom," Emotion choked his words, "Good-bye, dad."

His parents began to fade back into his memories.

He watched them until they were no more.

"I love you."

- - - - -

"I love you," Robin croaked, his voice harsh from his mentor's chokehold.

Pain washed over his body, originating from too many places to count. Pain which redoubled when he attempted to move, causing him to gasp and clench his eyes against it.

The cool wooden floor of the basketball court rested against his cheek and provided something calm for him to focus on. Gradually, the pain ebbed to a dull ache and he cracked open his eyes. One of the orbs was encrusted shut, probably from the same blood that had caked his face. But the other brought new horrors for him to behold.

Bruce was fighting Slade no more than 20 feet away, barely holding his own. In truth, he was beginning to lose. Blood loss from his calf was finally taking its toll, as the Dark Knight was pale, his movements slower.

To Bruce's credit, Slade looked a bit battle worn, fighting efficiently but quietly, with none of the cool confidence he usually processed. Still, he was winning. It was only a matter of time.

_I have to get up._

Dried blood peeled away as he lifted his head and rolled onto his stomach.

But he got no further.

_Get up!_

Muscles reluctantly complied, but made him pay with new agony.

Robin gasped, but when he recovered his breath, he was kneeling.

His head swam. He shook it slowly to clear it.

A sudden grunt caught his attention.

Bruce was down, Slade towering over him, a bit wobbly.

"You've lived up to your reputation, Batman," Slade said slowly, winded from the battle. "I almost wish you had been in peak form when we began this exercise."

He unholstered his sidearm and pointed the pistol at his fallen foe.

"But I have always been an expedient man."

The hammer cocked.

"NOOOOO!"

Adrenalin gave him the much needed strength and the Birdarang flew true.

Slade turned, eye wide as the weapon embedded itself into his arm, causing him to drop the gun.

A second later, the Birdarang blew up, throwing the man into the stands.

Slowly, Robin stumbled over to Batman, who had managed to sit up.

"You should have been out a lot longer than that," Bruce said wryly.

Dick smiled, "Yeah, well, you raised a tough kid."

"Such a touching reunion."

A hand clamped down on Robin's neck from behind and lifted him effortlessly.

The Titan struggled to free himself, but simply didn't have the strength.

Slade casually kicked Batman in the face. The Dark Knight fell back to the hard floor and did not move.

"Batman!"

Robin twisted and punched the man in the face.

Surprisingly, he connected with flesh.

Slade's mask was gone, along with most of his armor. Burns and lacerations covered the villain's body, but that same cruel, reptilian eye still pierced the teen's soul.

For a split second, the two foes were face to face.

"Batman cannot help you now."

Robin was thrown to the ground hard, landing facedown.

Before he could crawl away, Slade straddled him, forcing the teen's left arm up behind his back, while at the same time slamming his head back down to the floor.

"I think its time you learned some discipline, Robin."

"Fuck you!"

Slade growled in anger and shoved his arm up, breaking it neatly.

Robin bit his tongue, but refused to scream.

"You will learn obedience, Robin," Slade unsheathed a dagger and rolled the quivering Titan over. Robin attempted to hit him with his right arm, but the man simply grabbed the teen's head and smashed it back into the floor.

"This is going to hurt, Robin, but it will bring us closer."

Slade grabbed the lower half of his face to hold his head still and began to lower the dagger towards the Titan's left eye.

Robin continued to struggle, words muffled by the cruel hand.

"Ssssh, Robin. It will all be over soon."

Heart racing, Robin began to despair.

"GET AWAY FROM HIM!"

Everything seemed to turn green, and suddenly Slade was gone.

With the words "Titans! Go!" echoing around him, Richard Grayson spiraled back down into oblivion.


	14. Graduation Day Part 2

_We're in trouble._

This succinct assessment of the situation came as Cyborg spotted Robin's bloody and unmoving form on the wooden floor of the basketball court. A few yards away, Batman's body was also still. Slade's robots had begun to appear everywhere, and not just the drones they usually dealt with. There were at least three of the high quality Slade duplicates; the models capable of holding their own against any of them.

_Slade's playing for keeps this time._

Unfortunately, Slade himself was nowhere to be found. Starfire's blast had knocked him all the way to the upper level of the arena and they quickly lost track of him as the robots blew their way into the arena from all sides.

"BB, track Slade down, but watch yourself! Raven! Starfire! Protect us from above! Try to keep 'em off of us while we check on Robin and the Bat!"

He ducked under a random energy blast and returned fire with his sonic cannon. One of the lesser robots shattered spectacularly, its components bathing the oldest Titan in a shower of mechanical parts.

When he opened his human eye again, he spotted Batgirl kneeling by the two fallen heroes.

"Batgirl!" He shouted over the din of battle, "Are they--?"

"Still alive!" She paused over the younger man for a few seconds, "But Robin's badly hurt. His arm is broken, there's internal bleeding, and he's unresponsive!"

Cyborg swore. _So much for Robin giving us a hand out of the mess he made in the first place._

"We gotta get them out of here! Prep 'em for evac, and I'll—"

Pain flashed across his face as one of the Slade duplicates completed a spectacular flying kick to his head. The half-metal Titan fell to the floor struggling with the robot, further orders lost.

---

Starfire was enraged.

Fiery globs of radiant energy spat from her hands in every direction, incinerating robot after robot. Her eyes blazed like the sun, as she continued to look for the man who would dare torment the one she loved, but the villain was nowhere to be found.

She cursed in her own alien tongue, frustrated.

A split second later one of the drones dropped down on her from above.

The mechanical man's momentum drove her to the floor, as they crashed through one of the backboards, sending shattered glass everywhere.

The Tamaranean growled and used her bare hands to rip off the robot's head.

But before she could get back to her feet, three more drones buried her.

---

Raven struggled to keep her mystical shield up, but the sheer number of energy blasts were destroying dark barrier that protected her friends nearly as fast as she could reinforce it. She spared a moment to rip up an entire row of seats, which she then smashed into a large group of robots. One managed to leap to safety, but she quickly caught it in an energy cocoon. She furrowed her brow in concentration and literally used her magic to rip the machine into a dozen pieces.

For a split second, her gaze caught Robin's wounded body.

_Is he--?_

Something hit her hard from behind, nearly breaking her back.

Her concentration broke and she began to fall.

The hardwood floor spiraled upward to meet her.

---

Batgirl tossed an explosive Batarang at a drone.

The projectile lodged in the robot's chest and promptly blew up.

Two mechanical legs, held together by the barest hint of a lower torso, wobbled around for a few seconds and finally collapsed, but the hero had already brought out her Bat-grapple, eyes on a more important target. Aiming carefully, she focused on the head of the Slade duplicate which was doing a thorough job of battering Cyborg's vulnerable human areas.

A second later, she fired.

The grapple drove right into the sophisticated robot's head, lodging deep inside.

Batgirl pulled with all her strength, yanking the thing off the prone Titan. But the fake Slade was quick, and suddenly it was right on top of her. She attempted to roll with the vicious backhand, but was only partially successful.

As she tried to recover, something looped around her throat and tightened.

The robot was strangling her with her own line.

It lifted her effortlessly off the floor, gradually closing her windpipe.

---

Beast Boy bounded up the stairs in wolf form, seeking Slade's scent.

Two drones dropped in front of him, but he leapt forward, transformed into a green rhino, and crushed them against the concrete steps. Allowing his massive form just enough time to push off the mangled artificial remains, he changed into a wolf once more.

He didn't catch the scent until he almost reached the mezzanine.

Beast Boy barely recognized it. The smell of burned flesh and blood was almost overpowering. Still, he followed it through the opening at the top of the aisle and into the concourse that surrounded the interior of the arena.

He paused as the scent seemed to stop.

The wolf yelped in pain as a butterfly knife buried itself deep in his shoulder.

Beast Boy reverted back into human form and gasped as he pulled the knife out.

"How disappointing," a cold voice called out from above.

The jade Titan looked up.

"Of all the opponents they could have sent after me, I get you."

Slade dropped from the ceiling, sais in hand.

---

Cyborg carefully placed his sonic cannon next to the faux Slade's already damaged cranium and fired. The robot's head and a decent portion of its upper body disintegrated, releasing Batgirl from its stranglehold.

"Booyah, motherfucker."

He reached down and helped the young woman back to her feet.

"Nice mouth," she rasped, rubbing her throat.

Cyborg smiled, and immediately blasted two more drones away, "Let's get out of here, shall we?"

Batgirl hefted Robin carefully, draping him over her shoulders, "Ready when you are."

The metallic Titan lifted Batman with ease and shouted "Titans! Together!"

---

The words echoed in Starfire's ears and she immediately let loose with both her Starbolts and eye beams, incinerating all three of her foes. Then she took to the air, just in time to see Raven pull out of a dive and join her.

The two Titans streaked across the air in tandem, Starfire blasting to the left, while Raven's mystical energies covered them on their right. The pair cut a path of destruction through Slade's forces until all four of the heroes were reunited.

"Raven, get us out of here!"

The mystic nodded, enshrouding everyone in a dark bubble, which quickly began to sink into the floor.

"Wait!" Starfire exclaimed, "Where is Beast Boy?"

Cyborg blinked.

"Aw, hell."

---

The points of the sais came down in a murderous arc.

Beast Boy had just enough time to turn into a giant tortoise.

The weapons scraped along his shell, leaving vicious marks, but no serious injury. He became a rabbit and leapt off to the side, trying to put some space between him and Slade, but the villain stayed right on him, slashing and pressing his attack.

He tried an anaconda, but Slade managed to avoid his coils, stabbing him twice in the process. The shock of pain forced him back into human form.

Slade kicked him in the gut, and he crumbled to the ground.

"You always were weak, boy."

Beast Boy attempted to rise.

A kick to the head drove him back to the ground.

Slade grabbed the teen by the back of the neck, lifted him painfully as he tore away his communicator, and threw him into a wall.

"No wonder she left you."

The Titan spat out blood and rolled over painfully. But his eyes held a fierce determination. He whispered a single warning:

"Don't."

Slade's burned visage smiled, as he crushed the communicator in one hand.

"Painful memory, boy? Not for me. Terra was a fine apprentice."

"Don't you talk about her!" Beast Boy struggled to his feet, using the wall for support as he began to sway unsteadily.

"Until she betrayed me, and got _exactly_ what she deserved."

"Bastard! I'll kill you!"

The wounded teen morphed into a Triceratops and charged, his massive bulk barely able to move within the confines of the hallway.

Slade leapt up just before the dinosaur could gore him, and used the deadly horns as handholds to propel him over the animals protective crest and onto its unprotected back. The sais became coated in blood and gore as Slade drove them deeper and deeper into Triceratop's flesh.

The dinosaur bellowed in pain and abruptly disappeared, replaced by a fly.

Slade fell to the floor, and was unable to recover his footing when a massive grizzly bear appeared, and swatted the man full in the chest, easily breaking several ribs. Slade grunted in pain, but managed to throw both sais at the bear before he hit an archway, slide to the floor, and lay still.

Beast Boy shuddered as both weapons found their mark in his chest.

He transformed back into his human form and fell to his knees.

His breathing was irregular and he began to cough up more blood.

_One of my lungs must have been hit._

He grabbed the handles of the paired weapons with trembling hands and clenched his eyes shut.

_This is going to hurt. A lot._

Pausing only to take in a quick breath, he yanked.

---

"Did you hear that?" Raven asked, cloak blowing in the night air on top of the basketball arena. Her gate had brought them this fallback position. Unfortunately, it appeared Slade's drones had trashed the T-ship they had parked there earlier.

"Hear what?" Batgirl said, grimacing at the wet cracking sound Robin's arm made as she set the bone.

"You are hurting him!" Starfire insisted, reaching out to stop her.

Cyborg grabbed her arm and shook his head. "She knows what she's doing, Star. Let her do her work." He turned to Raven, "Yeah, my audio sensors picked it up. A scream. Do you think it was . . ."

"Yes. Beast Boy." Raven began to float, "He's in great pain. We have to help him."

Cyborg paused, looking down at Robin.

"Go."

He glanced at Batgirl.

"Go," she said again, "I've got it covered. Help your teammate."

Cyborg nodded, "Starfire, stay here in case Slade's robots figure out where we went. Raven, take us to Beast Boy."

The alien didn't argue, green eyes focused on their fallen leader.

The mystic Titan began to chant.

_Hang in there, BB._

---

Raven's portal took the two Titans to a concrete concourse behind the arena's upper levels. They found the green young man slumped over in a sitting position, his simple uniform stained red from several stab wounds. Two discarded sais, covered in blood, lay nearby. Other than a damaged archway with no small amount of blood spattered along its base, there was no sign of Beast Boy's opponent.

"Aw, man! BB!"

Cyborg knelt down to check the jade Titan's pulse and breathed a sigh of relief as his sensors detected a weak, but stable heartbeat.

"Open a portal, Raven, and let's get him out of here."

Raven nodded.

"I think not."

Both Titans whirled as Slade appeared, flanked by two of his duplicates. Despite his obvious injuries, the villain still stood defiantly, holding a steel bar as a makeshift weapon, "After all, I went through so much trouble to make sure he dies."

---

Batgirl finished placing the makeshift sling over Robin's broken arm and sat back, taking a few precious seconds to wipe the sweat from her brow.

"Are you sure Robin is going to be alright?" Starfire asked for what seemed to be the hundredth time. The Tamaranean had literally hovered over her the whole time.

"How the hell am I supposed to know? I'm not a doctor!"

The alien flinched at her words, and Batgirl felt some guilt trickle into her psyche.

"Look, I care about him, too, you know. Trust me when I tell you that I've done everything I can for him."

The two heroines looked each other in the eye.

Finally, Starfire swallowed hard and nodded.

"Keep an eye on him, will you? I need to check on Batman."

Batgirl moved over to the fallen Dark Knight and began to rummage through her utility belt, looking for a particular pouch.

_Come on, Bruce. We sure could use your help right about now._

---

Cyborg barely put an arm up in time to block the steel bar attempting to take off his head. He felt the impact through his metallic implants.

_Geeze, he's even faster than his damn robots!_

Slade had come for him directly, while his duplicates kept Raven busy.

He swung awkwardly with the same arm, while cradling Beast Boy protectively with the other. Slade easily ducked under it and jammed the metal shaft into the Titan's armpit. The man shoved the bar clear through the joint and out Cyborg's shoulder.

Cyborg growled in pain, as servos shorted and his arm became useless.

"I see Brother Blood's intel was money well spent," Slade said mockingly, ripping the pole free and jumping back. "Your legs are next."

"Raven! Evac, now!"

The sorceress backed away from the two robots harrying her and shot out an arm in his direction. Suddenly a portal opened from underneath and both Cyborg and his fallen friend stumbled backwards into the darkness.

The Titan realized as the portal began to shrink that she wasn't coming with them.

"Raven, no! What are you doing!"

"He has to pay for what he did!"

"Don't do it!"

But the portal had already closed.

---------------------------------------------------------------

Author's Note: This story kind of expanded on me, but next chapter is truly the last, and Robin will never be the same again. Thanks for all the reviews. If you haven't left one yet, you're running out of time, so let's hear from you!


	15. Graduation Day Finale

"You should have listened to him, Raven."

Slade and his duplicates stalked her carefully, moving into a triangle formation around her. The contrast between the relatively undamaged duplicates and the villain himself was startling. Slade's body was severely burned, with bits and pieces of his armored uniform sticking to the charred flesh. The few areas not burned were bruised and bloody. Patches of dead skin stuck to the steel rod as he adjusted his grip, while tendons, ligaments, and bones popped and made other sickening sounds as he assumed a combat stance. And while his exposed face was an unrecognizable ruin, his single eye was undamaged. That malevolent orb seems to pierce her soul with its calm, emotionless stare.

"I'm not afraid of you," she declared, more to convince herself than her adversary.

Slade's eye narrowed.

"You should be, little girl."

Her three opponents attacked as one.

Raven barely got her barrier up in time, and most of her concentration focused on keeping the protective black shield in place. She actually cowered for a moment, but gradually righteous anger began to fill her mind.

This was the man who had tormented them for years.

The man who kidnapped Robin and forced him to fight his friends.

The man who served as a harbinger for her father and tormented her relentlessly.

A man who now almost killed Robin and Beast Boy.

Anger quickly transformed into rage, and mystical energy flooded her system.

"Azerath, Mertrion, Zinthos!" she spat the words as a curse.

Part of her mystic dome lashed outwards, catching one of the duplicates full-on and slamming it viciously into a concrete wall. The robot created a depression in the wall and was crushed like a tin can. When the magic withdrew, a man-shaped mass of plastic, metal, and wires no more than an inch thick toppled forward onto the floor.

Slade actually paused, eye widening.

She repeated the words and her magic lashed out again, this time encasing the final duplicate completely. She closed her eyes in fierce concentration and suddenly the robot was disassembled. A hundred pieces of useless machine parts clattered to the floor.

Slade backed off a few steps.

Raven sensed his fear, and it was as nectar to her magicks. Her power fed on it and she began to laugh, towering over him as her energies enveloped her completely.

"Foolish little man! You have no idea what true power is!"

She manifested a massive bird of prey, black talons and beak thrust outward to capture her foe. Slade somehow managed to avoid the initial assault, but he only delayed the inevitable. All too soon the villain was writhing within the grasp of a gigantic mystical talon, huge beak descending to tear off his head.

Slade tried unsuccessfully to use the steel rod to pry himself free, as Raven increased the pressure. She felt the man's already damaged rib cage begin to crumple, glee rising with each wet snapping sound.

Slade threw his head back and screamed in agony.

Raven smiled, exulting in his agony. How many others had he hurt like this?

But then he began to make another sound.

It was punctuated with shuddering exhalations and coughed up blood, but the noise was unmistakable.

Slade was laughing.

"Have you gone mad?" She asked incredulously.

Keeping a vice-like grip on him, she brought the lolling body closer.

That single, baleful eye met hers.

"Daddy would be so proud of you, Raven."

Realization struck her like a blow to the gut.

Her magic flickered, shock and horror replacing had been murderous intent.

_What have I done?_

Slade head butted her, breaking the spell and dropping her to the floor in a heap.

"You should never let down your guard, Raven," Slade said slowly, as he regained his footing, "A fatal mistake, I'm afraid."

Blood pouring from her broken noise, Raven tried to ignore the pain and scramble to her feet as Slade closed in.

"Azerath! Met---"

Slade's blow broke her jaw and knocked the Titan ten feet down the hall.

Her head cracked against something and the world became fuzzy. As the concussion wracked her brain, Raven became to fade in and out of consciousness.

Like some horrible monstrosity from Dante's _Inferno_, Slade hobbled after her, wheezing and leaving a trail blood. The steel bar made a harsh scraping sound on the concrete as he used it as a makeshift crutch.

"You should have killed me when you had the chance, Raven."

She vaguely noticed something dark leap over her huddled form, barely visible in the twilight of the concourse. It struck Slade in the chest, causing him to cry out in pain and topple backwards onto the unrelenting concrete floor.

A wounded, but defiant Batman stood between her and his foe.

"Ready for Round Three?" the Dark Knight asked.

---

Robin awoke with a start.

For two or three precious seconds he stared up at Starfire's beautiful face. Worry spoiled her kind features, and the clear night sky framed her visage, a few stars flickering unconcerned in the background. Her eyes, moist with tears, widened as she realized he was conscious, and a wondrous mixture of hope, relief, and love washed over her. In that instant, that one moment of clarity, he realized just how much he loved her.

Then the pain came.

He gasped, muscles unable to give him the strength to even scream.

A low groan was all he could manage.

"Robin! Robin! You're alive!"

She began to embrace him, but quickly restrained herself. Instead, she grasped his good arm and squeezed his hand, tears created tiny pools on his chest.

"You . . . saved me?" he said slowly, brain trying franticly to piece together his current situation.

"Yes, yes! We all did! We have come to your rescue!"

Alarm flared through his pain.

"Slade!" he whispered fiercely, "Where is he? And Batman! Is he---"

"You must rest, Robin. Batgirl told me so. We will take care of Slade."

He tried to sit up.

She easily kept him down.

Finally, he submitted.

"I'm sorry, Starfire. I'm so sorry . . ."

---

Not far away, Batgirl watched this exchange.

Methodically dressing Beast Boy's wounds, she came to a painful realization.

_I have to let him go._

Heart heavy, she set the green Titan's head back down on the make shift pillow she had made with her cape, took a syringe out of her utility belt, and walked over to Robin and Starfire. She quickly knelt beside them.

Robin's head tilted slightly to look at her.

"Hey, Babs," he murmured weakly, "Guess I screwed up pretty big this time, huh?"

She reached out with one hand and gently stroked his cheek, "I forgive you, Boy Wonder." Her voice cracked at these last two words, but her rising emotions did not prevent her from injecting a sedative into the leader of the Titans.

"What are you doing!" Starfire exclaimed, alarmed.

Robin barely had time to blink before he was put under.

"He has to rest!" Batgirl insisted, standing up, "Do you _want_ him to be in pain?"

Abashed, Starfire shook her head, still holding Robin's hand.

"You better take good care of him, Starfire," she said, voice choked with emotion.

Then she turned away and began to signal the Batwing.

The cold night wind made her eyes tear.

At least, that was what she told herself.

---

_I have to finish this quickly. That adrenalin shot Barbara gave me won't last much longer._

Batman paused only long enough to make sure Raven was stable and then went on the offensive again.

Slade attempted to counter his blows, but it was obvious even his body had limits. Limits which had finally, mercifully, been reached.

They lurched and attacked each other like punch drunk boxers in the final round of a heavy weight title bout. There was no grace, no poise, no elegance left in their movements. It was slow and ugly and brutal.

And finally, it appeared to end.

Batman took a punch to the face and countered with a roundhouse of his own.

Slade's disfigured head snapped back and his body followed, thudding against a doorway and sliding to the floor.

Batman staggered against the wall, keeping his eyes on the fallen man.

_Stay down, damn you!_

Slade slowly raised his head from his chest, sole eye staring up at him.

"Well done, Batman," Slade rasped, no longer attempting to conceal the pain in his voice. He made a single attempt to get up, but his limbs were too slow to respond, moving only a few inches at best.

"Give up, Deathstroke. You're beaten," The Dark Knight commanded, mustering up all of his remaining strength, and standing firm in the center of the hallway.

_I've only got a minute or two remaining._

"Of course, you didn't exactly play fair. I'm afraid you owe much of your success to the Titans," He spit out a molar and wiped his mouth, "Hardly sporting."

Batman began to feel his pain threshold falling, as the adrenalin burned through his system. Too many wounds to count began to demand recognition.

Slade's head lolled to the side, as if his neck muscles simply couldn't hold it up anymore, "I couldn't have done it better myself. Bravo, _hero_."

"Surrender."

"I don't think so, Batman. I don't do surrender."

Suddenly the wall next to them burst open like a dam. Chunks of concrete exploded outward into the hallway. Batman barely had time to jump out of the way, but still found his legs pinned a few moments later.

He looked up in time to see a massive creature he recognized as Cinderblock, one of Deathstroke's thralls. The huge hulk gently picked up the villain and turned to leave.

Batman struggled to free himself, but he was hopelessly trapped. If he forced the issue, he'd wind up with two broken legs.

He threw his last two Batarangs, but they bounced off Cinderblock's concrete hide.

The monstrous humanoid paused amid the rubble of his makeshift entry, and Batman caught a final glimpse of his foe.

"Do say hello to Robin for me, won't you?"

Cinderblock stepped through the hole in the wall and out of sight, as Deathstroke called out a final time.

"I'm sure you'll have a lot to talk about."

---

It took several minutes to get extricated from the rubble, and by the time Cyborg finished getting him out, Deathstroke was long gone.

As much as Batman was loath to let Slade Wilson go, reality forced his hand. Three of the Titans were seriously hurt, and he was in no condition to pursue.

He took a moment to set Raven's jaw, much to Cyborg's discomfort, and limped ahead while the Titan carried the mystic.

All in all, the teens had performed well. He hated to admit it, but he and Batgirl probably owed them their lives.

Not that they would ever know.

---

The roof was eerily peaceful, compared to the carnage below.

Batman and Batgirl stared at the Titans, Batwing hovering nearby. Cyborg had already placed Beast Boy and Raven in the T-ship, and had just picked up Robin.

"Robin comes with us," Batman said.

"I don't _think_ so," Cyborg replied.

Starfire's eyes flared, "You will not take him. I will not let you."

"Batman—" Batgirl began, but a quick glare silenced her.

All four heroes tensed.

"Wait."

The voice was quiet, barely above a whisper, but it carried the power to stop all of them in their tracks. Four pairs of eyes looked at the form Cyborg was holding.

"Put me down, Cyborg," Robin ordered.

All but Batman began to protest.

"Now!"

Cyborg complied, but kept a hand on his leader to help steady him. Robin either didn't notice or didn't care.

"Batman. I have something to say to you."

The Dark Knight nodded.

"You are like a father to me. I owe you more than I can possibly repay. And I will always be grateful."

Robin paused, taking an unsteady breath. While his body was in a weakened state, the words that followed contained nothing but strength and determination.

"But I'm not going to do this anymore."

With his good arm, he pulled off his mask.

"It's time to grow up."

He ripped off his cape.

"It's time to move on."

Finally, he tore off the "R" emblem from his chest.

"It's time to graduate."

He extended his arm, and let all three items fall.

"I quit."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Author's Note: Nothing left but the Epilogue. Leave a review.


	16. Epilogue

_One month later . . . _

He drags himself out of the black vehicle and wearily makes his way across the damp, cold stone floor of the Cave. The bats are gone, having migrated south this time of year, and the silence weighs heavily upon him. The vast cavern seems even more empty to him these days. Barbara hasn't been visiting as often, and Alfred only comes down when he absolutely has to.

And of course, Robin is no longer there.

He practically collapses into the plush leather chair positioned in front of the massive screen of the mainframe and slides his cowl back. He rubs his eyes with the back of his hands, trying to stay awake a few more minutes so he can update his logs.

A flash of color catches his eye.

There is a massive fruit basket on the console with a small note written in Alfred's precise and wiry cursive.

He picks up the slip of paper:

_Master Bruce,_

_If you could take a moment to sign the card within the basket. A Mr. Jack Drake has purchased the house neighboring the property, and it wouldn't hurt for Bruce Wayne to appear neighborly. Apparently Mr. Drake is a single father of one child, Timothy. Of course, a detailed dossier will be assembled as soon as possible._

He sighs and closes his eyes. The neighboring farmhouse had stood empty for almost a decade. Now he would have to be even more careful.

_A single father, huh?_

He thinks of Dick again, as he does quite often these days.

Wondering if he did a good job raising him.

Trying to think of mistakes he may have made along the way.

Considering things he could have done differently.

Pondering regrets.

Musing about the future, equal parts curious and apprehensive about what the young man will do next.

Reliving that night on the roof of the arena when his son finally stood up to him and became his own man.

The barest hint of a smile touches his lips.

He couldn't be more proud.

---

On the other side of the continent, Dick Grayson has just finished dressing.

He stares at his image in the full-length mirror. Just one of the many furnishings Starfire had insisted on putting in their newly shared quarters.

He grins.

_At least she agreed to keep Silky in the Rec Room._

While he likes what he sees, the leader of the Titans realizes his new costume will take some getting used to. He wonders how much he'll miss the cape.

Or the belt.

He flexes his arm experimentally.

Only the slightest twinge of pain.

Cyborg's medical machines and weeks of bed rest appeared to have done the job.

Not that all that time in the medical bay was wasted.

The Titan's resources had to be rebuilt from the ground up.

Fortunately, Starfire's status as the former leader of an entire world entitled her to significant wealth. Add in the fact that Cyborg's father was a high ranking official in STAR labs, and the team had both the money and materials to replace everything Waynetech took from them. Having Aqualad pitch in with some lost pirate treasure, and the Titan's bottom line was as healthy as it had ever been.

All in all, things had turned out pretty well in the end.

The others had forgiven him, and both Raven and Beast Boy had recovered.

There was no sign of Slade, but that was a problem for another day.

Today was about the future.

He took one final look in the mirror and left the suite he and Starfire shared.

A few seconds later, he entered the main room where the others were waiting.

The four of them stared at him for a moment and began to all talk at once.

"Dude! Cool costume!"

"Well, all right! 'Bout time you lost the cape!"

"It is wondrous!"

"I like the colors."

He let's them go on for a bit, even doing a quick spin. There was a time when he would have considered this silly and a waste of time. But that was in the past, and what his friends thought was now very important to him.

After all, they were all in this together.

"Okay, dude, there's just one thing I don't get."

"Go ahead, Beast Boy. What don't you understand?"

"Um, I thought Robins were red, not black and dark blue?"

Dick smiled.

"That's because I'm not Robin anymore."

The four Titans stated at him expectantly. Beast Boy, Cyborg, Raven, and Starfire. They were no longer just his friends and allies.

They were his family.

"Call me Nightwing."

THE END 

Author's Note: Many thanks to everyone who was kind enough to leave a review. I hope you enjoyed my take on the Titans. If you like my style, check out some of my other stories. _Heart of the Bat_ is particularly good if you'd like to see a different perspective on Batgirl and Nightwing from the Justice League universe. I'm going to let the Teen Titans alone for a while now. This tale pretty much says it all I had to say about them. If you have enjoyed this more mature take on the Titans, I highly recommend the original Teen Titans comic series by Marv Wolfman and George Perez. Most of the truly cool concepts from the show were taken from their 60+ issue run in the early 80's. Thanks again, and . . . Titans! Go!


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